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At least 3 dead after alleged drunk driver mows down 9 pedestrians at NYC 4th of July party: ‘Can’t get the screaming out of my head’

Z.Baker15 hr ago

A drunk driver allegedly mowed down nine people — killing three — who were celebrating the Fourth of July on the Lower East Side Thursday, cops and police sources said.

Among the victims is a mother and her two young kids, according to sources, who added that two women and one man succumbed to their injuries.

"I can't get the screaming out of my head," one rattled witness told The Post.

Multiple families were inside Corlears Hook Park when a speeding gray Ford F-150 blew through the Water Street and Jackson Street intersection, over the sidewalk and into the greenspace, police told reporters.

One neighborhood witness, who was in the park with his wife and sister-in-law, said the victims were enjoying a barbeque near the baseball field's bleachers — which lies directly across the street from a stop sign the truck blew through.

"That's where the truck crashed into. If you go straight, you drive exactly into that space and that's exactly what happened," said the man, who declined to share his name.

The pick-up — which weighs an average of 5,000 pounds — was resting on top of four victims when first responders arrived and used airbags, floor jacks and cribbing to free them.

The victims were rushed to Bellevue, New York Presbyterian Downtown, Mount Sinai Beth Israel and NYU Langone. The driver is also being evaluated at Bellevue.

Four are clinging to life and three others are in serious condition, FDNY Chief Michael Myers said. Two were treated with minor injuries.

Two were pronounced dead at the scene, including a 41-year-old woman. The third victim succumbed to their injuries at the hospital.

A mother and her two "young" kids were counted among the surviving victims, but police couldn't say whether they were the ones caught beneath the drunk driver's truck.

Parkgoers who witnessed the tragedy jumped into action to restrain the drunk driver to prevent him from fleeing the scene, police said.

Officers smelled alcohol on the driver, saying they "believe that alcohol may have played a role in this."

"I don't understand how a person can get into a car intoxicated or people with them and let them drive. Knowing they can alter the lives of the people around them in such an intense and tragic way," said the witness' wife, who was hoping to show her out-of-town sister a fun Fourth of July.

Horrifying surveillance footage shows the truck barreling down the street with no signs of slowing down at the intersection.

The car drives over the curb and into a fence — which did nothing to stop the speeding vehicle — sending sparks into the air as hurled toward the family, the video, obtained by ABC 7, shows.

When asked if nearby construction could have played a part in the tragedy, she and her husband shot down the notion.

"We've lived here for 20 years — there is a stop sign and the barricades for the construction are bright and orange. It's dark, yes, but you can see these structures. The stop sign was there," the woman said.

"The speed you need to be going, to be crashing into people ... I'm actually still in shock."

Abdo Yahya, a 30-year-old father of three who has lived in the neighborhood for 18 years, said his kids saw the police cars outside their window.

"Nothing like this has ever happened here before. I mean they fight. The argue. But nothing like this," he said. "My kids are scared to go outside now."

The driver was taken into custody. Police did not identify the individual, but sources said they are from the Bronx.

The investigation is ongoing.

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