NEW YORK – Police are looking for three suspects involved in a fatal collision in Astoria, Queens.
When the suspects were fleeing a burglary collided with a cyclistsay police sources.
Fatal incident captured on surveillance video
Surveillance video shows Amanda Servedio, 36, attempting to drive through the intersection of 37th and 34th Avenue when she was struck.
“I saw a black SUV taking that bend very fast. The lady on the bicycle had the right of way. There was a car at this part of the intersection. That truck cut off the car and drove over the lady,” said a witness. said.
That witness, who was seen walking his dog moments earlier in the surveillance video, described the brief interaction he had with the cyclist.
“She saw me from across the street and tried to warn me she was passing by, and then I looked back at her and she got hit,” he said. ‘I don’t even have words for it. I’m still shocked.’
The woman was rushed to hospital, but did not survive.
The tragedy started with a burglary, police say
It all started with a burglary call on Crescent Street, less than a mile from the crash site, investigators said. They saw a black Dodge Ram truck with duct tape covering its license plate, so they tried to talk to three people in the vehicle, police sources said. Instead, the suspects drove away. They hit two other responding police cruisers, sources said. The officers suffered minor neck and back injuries.
Police chased the truck, which hit the cyclist a few minutes later. The driver did not stop.
“The truck was going really fast,” one person said.
“I heard sirens. I heard very fast vehicles – a lot of them – and just a lot of commotion,” said another.
Officers called off the chase, sources said. Police are required to follow strict guidelines before initiating a pursuit. The NYPD is investigating whether these rules were followed.
The suspects threw the truck blocks away on Newtown Road and ran away. They are still at large.
Vehicle involved has dozens of violations
Police say the license plate contains a total of 90 violations dating back to 2022, including school zone and red light violations. Police sources say it is registered to a Staten Island man and has not been reported stolen. It is not clear who was behind the wheel at the time of the fatal incident.
Police sources say they have a name of the person they believe was involved, but he has not yet been arrested.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have seen three men fleeing the area to contact them. Anyone with any information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). You can also submit a tip via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All conversations are treated confidentially.
