FORT GREENE, Brooklyn (PIX11) — A 7-year-old boy riding a scooter was hit and killed by an NYPD tow truck on a Brooklyn street Thursday morning, according to the NYPD.
The incident happened near Myrtle and North Portland avenues in Fort Greene at around 7:50 a.m., police said. The child died at the scene, officials said.
Authorities said the tow truck driver was making a right turn onto North Portland Avenue when the child, riding a scooter, was struck while crossing the street with his mother. The driver was towing a car to a Brooklyn pound.
“My heart goes out to the young’s boy mother and his family,” NYPD Chief of Department Jeffrey Maddrey said at a press briefing Thursday morning.
Tow truck operators are civilian members of the NYPD, Maddrey said.
The investigation is ongoing.
Police told PIX11 News that the tow truck driver is facing charges for failing to yield to the boy in the crosswalk.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the New York City area for more than a decade. She joined PIX11 News in 2022. See more of her work here.
