On Thursday morning, 6-year-old Amar Siarrassouba was killed by a tractor trailer as he crossed the street on his way to school. While crossing guard Flavia Roman was not at her post at First Avenue and 117th Street when the accident occurred, Ray Kelly says that she is not likely to face criminal charges (despite calls from the New York Post, which is in its second day of blaming her for the death.) Kelly told reporters that the NYPD is still looking into claims that Roman lied to her supervisor when she called to check in from the crosswalk at 7:30 a.m.
A video posted by the New York Daily News indicates that she did not arrive on the scene until ten minutes after Siarrassouba was hit, though she has said that she only left for a few minutes to take a bathroom break. Though Kelly said that Roman should have notified someone of her absence either way, he noted that there likely would not have been anyone to fill in “given staffing constraints.” He also pointed out that, until Thursday, the crossing guard had “a very good history. She’s worked on that post, in essence, for ten years. There were no negative reports. She was very well received and appreciated by the community.” According to Kelly, Roman’s punishment could range from “a reprimand” to the loss of her job. Right now, she is suspended without pay.
