Crime & Safety
Brooklyn Pedestrian Killed When Van Pins Him To Building
Jose Cardoso, of Staten Island, died after Leonel Ortega-Flores, of the Bronx, hit him Saturday night and ran from the scene, police said.
BROOKLYN, NY — A Bronx driver has been charged with vehicular manslaughter after police say he fatally struck a pedestrian in Brooklyn — pinning the victim to a building — then fled on foot. It happened around 8 p.m. Saturday near 21st Street and 4th Avenue in the Greenwood neighborhood, police said.
Officers found Jose Cardoso, 32, of Staten Island, unconscious and not breathing with head and chest injuries, police said. Emergency responders rushed him to Methodist Hospital where he was declared dead.
A preliminary investigation showed that Leonel Ortega-Flores, 35, was driving a 2004 GMC van and had been trying to park when he lost control of the vehicle, police said. Ortega-Flores mounted a sidewalk and barreled into the pedestrian from behind, pinning him between the building and the vehicle, police said.
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Ortega-Flores got out of the van and took off on foot, but was later taken into custody with charges pending.
An investigation remains ongoing.
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Ortega-Flores also faces charges of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and driving without a license.
Photo credit: Courtesy of Brandon Krisel/Patch
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