Driver hits mother and child in South Jamaica; 4-year-old dies
A driver in a Toyota RAV4 hit a 4-year-old boy and a 32-year-old woman on 147th Street in South Jamaica on Aug. 20, 2022; relatives told reporters the family had just returned from the funeral of the boy's older brother.
Location reported in Open Data.
What We Know
A driver in a Toyota RAV4 traveling north on 147th Street in South Jamaica hit a 4-year-old boy and a 32-year-old woman at about 6:17 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2022. City records count one pedestrian killed and one injured; news accounts said the woman was the child's mother and was trying to reach him as he moved into the street from between parked cars. Reporters identified the boy as a Bronx child with varying spellings of his first name: Demonte, Damonte or Domantea McDonald. Relatives told the Daily News and the Post that the family had just come back from the funeral of the boy's older brother. Police said the driver stayed at the scene; articles reported no arrests and no suspected criminality.
A driver hit a child and his mother on 147th Street
The official crash record places the collision at 6:17 p.m. on Aug. 20, 2022, on 147th Street in South Jamaica, and records one pedestrian killed and one pedestrian injured. amNY reported that a motorist heading north in a Toyota RAV4 hit the child and his 32-year-old mother.
Police told reporters the woman ran after the child as he moved into the street from between parked cars, and the driver hit them both. News accounts reported that the driver stayed at the scene.
A family was already mourning
The official record identifies the child who died as a 4-year-old boy. News organizations gave different spellings of his first name: Gothamist and amNY reported Demonte McDonald, the Daily News reported Damonte McDonald, and the Post reported Domantea McDonald.
Relatives told the Daily News and the Post that the family had just returned from the funeral of the boy's older brother. His father, Michael McDonald, told the Daily News, "I lost two kids."
Articles reported that the boy's mother, 32, was injured in the foot.
The crash happened in South Jamaica
The official record lists the crash on 147th Street. News reports placed it near 117-23 147th Street, with amNY describing the block as between 119th Avenue and Foch Boulevard in South Jamaica.
Reports differed on where the boy died
Police accounts in the articles agreed that the child suffered severe head trauma and internal injuries. Gothamist reported that he was pronounced dead at Cohen Children's Medical Center, while amNY, the Daily News, the Post and ABC7 reported Long Island Jewish or Northwell-Long Island Jewish hospital.
The Post also reported his father's account that the child died at the scene and that he questioned the emergency response. The FDNY told the Post that life-saving operations began while the child was being transported to the hospital.
amNY and ABC7 reported that police did not suspect criminality, and multiple outlets reported that no arrests had been made.