Watch CBS News

Woman killed, driver arrested after crash in Downtown Brooklyn

18-year-old passenger killed in Downtown Brooklyn car crash
18-year-old passenger killed in Downtown Brooklyn car crash 01:44

NEW YORK -- A woman was killed in a car crash Friday morning in Downtown Brooklyn

It happened around 3:30 a.m. at the intersection of Court Street and Atlantic Avenue. 

Surveillance and cell phone video show the aftermath of the terrifying and deadly collision. 

"It's like a high-impact action movie. But it's actually here," area resident Lenny Cristino said. 

Video provided to CBS New York shows a black Mercedes sedan engulfed in flames shortly after the crash. Police said a white Honda Accord and the Mercedes collided violently after they said the Mercedes ran a red light at a high rate of speed. The damage was so bad that first responders on the scene had to remove the victim of the crash by cutting into the car. 

An 18-year-old passenger of the Honda was pronounced dead at the hospital. 

"It's just really sad, and just how high an impact of a crash it was," area resident Diana Kertz said.   

"I've seen a lot of traffic accidents in my time. This one was 100% preventable," Ryan Conran said. 

Of the five combined passengers, four were taken to the hospital. Police said a man who had been in the Mercedes attempted to run away, but was caught by police and taken into custody. 

"I'm shocked. And what bothers me the most is people are complaining that TJ's is closed and somebody died," Cristino said. 

About seven hours after the incident, police and DOT were still on site, eventually clearing the area of debris. 

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.