Car jumps curb in Midwood, Brooklyn, killing 1 person and injuring another

Sep 21, 2023

MIDWOOD, Brooklyn (WABC) -- One person was killed and another injured after an out-of-control car plowed through an intersection in Midwood, Brooklyn.

It happened at the intersection of Avenue M and Ocean Avenue just after 9:15 p.m. Wednesday.

The 76-year-old pedestrian, Milorad Rajacic from Old Westbury, was struck in the intersection and was pronounced dead at Maimonides Medical Center.

The vehicle, a Tesla driven by a 17-year-old, crashed through a light pole, bringing it down into the street.

The car then jumped the curb and slammed into a park bench on the median, injuring a 24-year-old man sitting on the bench. That man was being treated for minor complaints of pain at Maimonides, where he was in stable condition.

"This is what makes people feel safe. To walk in your own neighborhood. To sit down on a park bench and drop dead because of a reckless 17-year old, come on," said Mike Davis who lives in the area.

The driver, who is believed to have been traveling at a high rate of speed, has been charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

But witnesses say that although the driver did not stay in his car, he did not flee either.

"He just went over here to the corner, and he called up his parents, his parents came, they spoke to the police officers, he didn't resist at all, he was very calm, and he was obviously shaken it was very scary for anybody who was there," said Michael, an eyewitness.

People who live in the area say reckless driving is common on Ocean Parkway.

"I'm always here walking the dog, because I don't want a car from Ocean Parkway jumping the curb and hitting me. And I've seen it happen. It's happened to me. I've had to avoid the car with my wife," said Davis.

Some of the teen driver's classmates stopped by the scene today. They said a community organization met with them and warned them about unsafe driving.

Neighbors hope this can be a lesson to other drivers coming through here too.

The investigation into the crash is ongoing.

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