A quiet Friday afternoon in the Longwood section of the Bronx turned terrifying when a 4-year-old girl was hit by a speeding driver who took off, leaving her sprawled on the pavement just steps from a neighborhood playground.
Police say the girl was struck by a gray Jeep that witnesses saw racing westbound on Longfellow Avenue. The driver did not stop after the collision and kept going down the block, according to officers.
According to News 12 New York, the crash happened around 4 p.m. as the child was crossing in front of 1075 Longfellow Ave. when the gray Jeep hit her and continued westbound.
As reported by Streetsblog New York City, relatives identified the child as 4-year-old Aicha Camara. She suffered a broken right leg and head trauma and was rushed to NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem, where police say she is in stable condition. Her sister, Mmahawa Traore, told the outlet the family recently moved to the South Bronx and is now focused entirely on Aicha’s recovery. A nearby witness described the impact as so violent that the little girl was sent into the air when the vehicle hit her.
Neighbors demand traffic calming
On this narrow residential stretch of Longfellow Avenue, residents say speeding cars have been a problem for years, and they are tired of waiting for the next siren to prove their point.
Neighbors are calling on the city to install stop signs and speed bumps to protect children walking to and from the playground. As reported by News 12 New York, people who live in apartments above the scene said they heard the crash from inside their homes and want more enforcement against reckless drivers on the block.
Police release image, ask for tips
The NYPD has released an image of a person they want to question in connection with the hit-and-run and is asking the public for help finding the driver.
Tips can be submitted by calling 800-577-TIPS (8477) or, in Spanish, 888-577-4782, through the NYPD Crime Stoppers website, or on X, where the department takes tips at @NYPDTips.
A neighborhood under scrutiny
This corner of Longfellow Avenue has already drawn attention for recent violence and safety concerns, and residents say the latest hit-and-run only underscores how vulnerable the block has become.
For background on another recent tragedy on the same street, see a June report about a death on Longfellow Avenue from Tenant Found Dead With Knife In Chest, as well as broader borough-wide crash data in the NYPD collision report.
