Residents in Kew Gardens Hills watched a black sedan turn their intersection into a makeshift stunt arena, as a chaotic cellphone video captured the driver whipping through multiple tight donuts at 150th Street and Jewel Avenue before flooring it and triggering a police chase. Neighbors told reporters the spectacle sparked a 911 call just before 10 p.m., and police later said no injuries were reported. For many locals, the clip was more than just a wild late-night scene; it stirred up painful memories of a deadly drag-racing crash in 2020 that claimed the life of a hospital worker.
According to the New York Post, the video, shared by residents online, shows the sedan spinning around the 150th Street and Jewel Avenue intersection on Sunday night before bolting from the scene and drawing an NYPD pursuit. The outlet quoted an NYPD spokesperson who said officers headed to the location after a neighbor called 911 shortly before 10 p.m., and that the chase began when the driver refused to stay put.
Neighbors Remember a Deadly Crash
The new footage landed hard in a neighborhood that still remembers a tragedy. In November 2020, 52-year-old Daniel Crawford was killed in a collision while driving to an early shift at Queens Hospital Center, a crash authorities tied to drag racing, as reported by QNS. The Queens District Attorney’s office later charged the drivers, and a DA press release shows one of them, Alamin Ahmed, received a seven-year sentence in July 2023 for his role in that fatal drag-racing crash.
Officials and Police Response
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards did not mince words about the latest street stunt. He told the New York Post that “reckless drivers put all New Yorkers at unnecessary risk of serious injury and death.” An NYPD spokesperson also told the Post that drag racing in Kew Gardens Hills is not considered a widespread or recurring problem, but said officers review video evidence and investigate whenever residents call in reports.
Legal Consequences
The 2020 case is the neighborhood’s grim reminder that street racing is not just noise and tire marks. Court filings and statements from the Queens DA’s office describe how the drivers in that crash blew through red lights and were alleged to be traveling at extremely high speeds before impact. The DA’s press release framed the resulting sentences as part of a broader effort to send a clear message that dangerous driving can bring severe charges when it costs innocent people their lives.
How Residents Can Report Risky Driving
City guidance is straightforward on what to do when the streets turn into a racetrack. New Yorkers are urged to call 911 if reckless or dangerous driving is happening in real time and to submit a 311 complaint if they are reporting something that already occurred, according to the city’s NYC311 portal. Residents and local leaders note that video clips and eyewitness accounts often become crucial to investigations, and city and prosecutor records from the 2020 case show surveillance footage helped build the drag-racing prosecution.
