Out-of-control garbage truck leads to chain reaction crash, killing pedestrian in East Harlem
A woman was killed when an out-of-control garbage truck set of a chain reaction that killed a pedestrian in East Harlem Tuesday.
It happened just before 6:30 a.m. at 101st Street near First Avenue.
The crash was caught on surveillance video. It shows the garbage truck crashing into multiple cars as it traveled north along First Avenue. The truck hit a parked Kia Forte at the intersection, which then jumped the curb and went into scaffolding outside a NYCHA building at 345 East 101st Street.
A female pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. Three other people were hospitalized with minor injuries, including the truck driver, 47, and passenger, 50.
"It was loud. It was just unbelievable, and I thought the worst," one witness said. "I saw the path of cars. I really didn't know what to think. I just stopped looking because I thought someone was killed."
It is not yet clear what led up to the crash. So far, no charges have been filed or arrests made.
The garbage truck is owned and operated by a New Jersey-based company called Classic Recycling. Calls and emails to their main office were not returned.
The Department of Buildings responded to the scene to check the building's structural integrity after it was struck by the garbage truck.