Three people were killed and four injured early Saturday evening when a man lost control of his car on Morris Park Avenue in the Bronx and drove onto the sidewalk, striking a group of trick-or-treaters. A 10-year-old girl was among those killed, and a three-year-old girl was among those injured. According to the New York Daily News, Louis Perez, a 65-year-old Vietnam veteran was killed after trying to push his three granddaughters from the path of the car. One of the girls was unharmed and another received non-life-threatening injuries, but the third granddaughter, Nyanna Aquil, died after being rushed to the hospital. Another adult, 24-year-old Kristian Leka, also received fatal injuries after pushing his 10-year-old sister out of the way. All of the victims lived either on the street, or nearby.
The driver, 52-year-old Howard Unger, was also injured in the crash and remains listed in serious but stable condition. It is not yet known what caused him to lose control of his vehicle. He was traveling west on Morris Park Avenue near Bogart Avenue when he bumped the back of another car, sideswiped a bus, and then suddenly swerved off the road and launched into the group of pedestrians, ultimately crashing into the front yard of 936 Morris Park Ave. The Daily News reports that investigators have ruled out road rage, and are now looking into whether or not Unger suffered some kind of medical episode which may have led to his erratic driving.
