Williamsburg, NY – Footage from a Shomrim member’s dashboard camera will likely become crucial evidence in the investigation of the death of a 24 year old Daily News driver who died this morning in Williamsburg after his delivery truck was broadsided by a green taxi driver.
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Police said that Jonathan Long of Lincoln Place in Brooklyn was heading southbound on Nostrand Avenue just before 6 AM this morning when a green Toyota Camry taxi traveling eastbound on Flushing Avenue slammed into his truck which overturned from the force of the collision.
Police responded to a 911 call about the accident at 5:49 AM and found Long unconscious and unresponsive at the scene. Long was transported to Woodhull Hospital by EMS where he was pronounced dead. A 58 year old passenger in the delivery truck was also taken to Woodhull Hospital where he is listed in stable condition.
The entire incident was captured on video by Shomrim member Jacob Grunblatt, was posted by The NY Daily News.
Grunblatt’s car was parked nearby and was facing the intersection where the deadly collision took place.
While the cab driver, 26 year old Tazul Islam, said that he had a green light when he went through the intersection, Grunblatt’s video showed that Long’s truck had a yellow light as it entered the intersection, with Islam’s car striking the front passenger side of the truck at almost precisely the same second that the southbound light on Nostrand Avenue turned red. Islam was coming off a 12 hour shift at the time of the accident and was treated on scene by paramedics.
“I watched the clip and you can see what really happened,” said Grunblatt. “The video sees the truck driving down the intersection and is almost through it when the cab comes and hits him.”
“He’s going through the intersection, he’s almost past it when he gets hit,” added Grunblatt. “The cab definitely ran the red.”
The NYPD’s Highway Unit’s Collision Investigation Squad was called to the scene and the investigation is ongoing. No charges have been filed yet against Islam.
Watch below:
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“Passed” the red light
Don’t be soooo so sure the cab passed the red,might be as soon he approached the light he already had it turn Green,note, the Truck clearly passed while it was yellow (but late yellow)&the; cab hit him while he was almost over the intersection..note a well that the truck CLEARLY PASSAED THE RED LIGHT AT WALLABOUT-LEE. No one can deny that. It just shows how he was reckless as well.
Yanky is the man, we are lucky once again to have Yanky here in willi.
why did the Daily news driver pass the first red light …you can see the light green so he had red and made a right turn..
the cab driver certainly rand a light.
forget about who ran the red…….what about the speed……..if neither were going fast they would all be ok………..it’s obviously the impact from the speed that caused the truck to turnover and the death of the driver.
BOTH cars ran red! the truck flew through a yellow-turning-red light and was still in the red zone when the taxi came barrelling – and the green taxi flew through when his light was for sure still red. it takes a few seconds for a light to turn green. He had no business flying through that light.
It was red for both of them at the moment of impact. They both ran the risk of collission. However, speeding into an intersection just before it turns green is reckless driving.
The few intersections scattered around NYC where a right on red is allowed all have signs posted which say AFTER STOP right turn permitted on red. Watching this footage it looks as though the truck did a ‘rolling stop’. It’s upsetting to think that had the truck come to a complete stop at that 1st intersection those extra 2 seconds could have been the difference between life and death.