Driver and Passenger Killed in Harlem River Drive Crash
The city record says two motorists were killed on Harlem River Drive after unsafe lane changing, and police told the Daily News that driver Michel Hamilton lost control near the 125th Street exit before he and passenger Norman Batiz died.
What We Know
Michel Hamilton, 37, and Norman Batiz, 47, were killed early March 5, 2022, in a single-sedan crash on Harlem River Drive. The city crash record places the crash at 12:12 a.m.; the Daily News, citing police, reported about 12:15 a.m. Police said Hamilton was driving a black Honda Accord south near the 125th Street exit when he lost control before impact with a center barrier. The city record lists unsafe lane changing and says the sedan was changing lanes while traveling south. Officers found both men unconscious, and both were taken to Harlem Hospital, where they died.
Police described a late-night crash near 125th Street
Police told the Daily News that Michel Hamilton, 37, of Washington Heights, was driving south on Harlem River Drive in a black Honda Accord with passenger Norman Batiz, 47, of the Bronx, when Hamilton lost control near the 125th Street exit. The report said the crash happened about 12:15 a.m.; the city crash record lists 12:12 a.m.
Responding officers found both men unconscious inside the damaged sedan, the Daily News reported. Both were taken to Harlem Hospital, where they died.
A relative remembered Hamilton as hardworking
Hamilton’s aunt, who was not identified by name in the Daily News, said she was devastated by his death and called him “a hard working young man.” She told the paper she had little information about the circumstances and did not know Batiz.
Where
Harlem River Dr