Two of Brooklyn's top elected officials are teaming up in response to Friday's deadly hit-and-run in Canarsie.
Borough President Eric Adams and District Attorney Eric Gonzalez are demanding tougher penalties for drivers who leave the scene of a crash.
Both of them agree that the laws as they exist now don't do nearly enough to keep drivers from fleeing the scene. On Friday, 70-year-old Marie Lorente was killed after a car hit her on Flatlands Avenue and East 78th Street.
Video shows the car that struck Lorente pause after the collision and then drive away.
Officials say the problem is that drivers don't fear the punishment for leaving the scene and find it worthwhile to do so.
Now, they're calling on state lawmakers to make that penalty just as strict as it is for drunk driving. There is a bill in Albany that increases the penalty for leaving the scene of an incident. It would create a hit-and-run alert system similar to an Amber Alert. The bill was introduced a year ago but has not come up for a vote.