Park Slope residents confront mayor over child pedestrian deaths

<p>A group of Park Slope residents confronted Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday, a day after a car struck and killed two young children at a neighborhood intersection.</p>

News 12 Staff

Mar 6, 2018, 6:13 PM

Updated 2,236 days ago

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A group of Park Slope residents confronted Mayor Bill de Blasio Tuesday, a day after a car struck and killed two young children at a neighborhood intersection.
Dozens of residents gathered outside the Brooklyn YMCA Tuesday, where the mayor is known to go for his daily workout. They caught de Blasio's ear and demanded traffic safety improvements at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Ninth Street. That's where a 43-year-old woman allegedly plowed into the crosswalk, killing a little boy and a little girl and sending a pregnant woman and others to the hospital.
Mayor de Blasio and his wife Chirlane McCray say they've walked through the same intersection with their own children many times. His office says an investigation into both the crash and how to improve safety at the intersection is underway.
Authorities have identified the children as 1-year-old Joshua Lew and 4-year-old Abigail Blumenstein. The girl's mother, Ruthie Ann Miles, is a Tony Award-winning actress and pregnant. She was walking with her friend, Lauren Lew, who was also hospitalized, according to the Associated Press.
Police say the driver was taken into custody, but no charges have been filed. Sources say she may have had a medical issue at the time of the crash.
Surveillance video shows the vehicle stopped at the light before accelerating into a group of pedestrians.
The city's Department of Transportation says it will conduct an investigation of the area.


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