Driver and Passenger Killed on Harlem River Drive
A 37-year-old driver and 47-year-old front-seat passenger died after police said Michel Hamilton lost control near the 125th Street exit on Harlem River Drive.
What We Know
Two men were killed in a single-car crash on Harlem River Drive just after midnight on a Saturday. According to the police report, a 47-year-old driver in a 2022 Honda sedan was changing lanes when he hit with enough force to fatally injure himself and his 37-year-old front-seat passenger. Police recorded unsafe lane changing as a contributing factor. The crash happened overnight, after dark.
Late-night crash near the 125th Street exit
The official crash record places the crash on Harlem River Drive at 12:12 a.m. on March 5, 2022. The Daily News, citing police, reported that Michel Hamilton was driving south in a black Honda Accord at about 12:15 a.m. as he and Norman Batiz neared the 125th Street exit.
Two men died after being pulled from the wreckage
The official record lists two motorists killed: the 37-year-old driver and a 47-year-old front-seat passenger. The Daily News identified them as Michel Hamilton, of Washington Heights, and Norman Batiz, of the Bronx.
Responding officers found both men unconscious inside the mangled sedan, the Daily News reported. They were taken to Harlem Hospital, where they died.
Unsafe lane changing was recorded as a factor
The official crash record lists unsafe lane changing as the contributing factor and records the sedan’s pre-crash movement as changing lanes. Police were still investigating the crash when the Daily News report was published.
A relative remembered Hamilton as hardworking
Hamilton’s aunt, who asked not to be identified, told the Daily News that he was a hardworking young man and said she had little information about the circumstances of the crash.
Where
Harlem River Dr