By Ivan Pereira
Two children were struck Sunday afternoon in south Jamaica when a driver who was reportedly arguing with a female passenger crashed into their front driveway, police said.
The unidentified 4-year-old girl was listed in critical condition and her 11-year-old brother was listed in stable condition at Long Island Jewish Medical Center as of Monday morning, according to the authorities. They were in front of their house near 160th Street and North Conduit Avenue around 5 p.m. when Anthony Grays, 39, of Kew Gardens Hills, slammed into the building while driving westbound on the avenue in his Mercury sedan, according to police.
“I was pretty much shocked,” said Ramone Riley, 18, who lived next door and was watching football when the accident took place. “The girl got it worse and her father was going crazy.”
A person who answered the door to the children’s home declined to talk. Riley said the children usually play outside their house with their parents watching close by.
Even though Grays stayed at the scene of the crime, he was arrested there for a matter unrelated to the accident, police said. He was allegedly driving with a 25-year-old woman who had a restraining order issued against him, according to investigators.
He was charged with criminal contempt for violating the court order, according to police.
Grays and his companion were allegedly arguing when they were driving past the house, according to the New York Post. He told police he was “distracted” during the time of the accident, the Post reported.
Riley said the unidentified woman was keeping to herself while the police investigated the scene.
The street is prone to accidents, according to the neighbor, since it is located right next to the Rockaway Boulevard exit on the westbound side of the Belt Parkway.
“It can get pretty bad here,” he said.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
