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Police hunt driver in deadly hit-and-run on South Conduit

Police hunt driver in deadly hit-and-run on South Conduit
NYPD
By Patrick Donachie

A St. Albans man was killed in a hit-and-run incident in Springfield Gardens that occurred only a few hours into the new year, and police were seeking information about the driver of the vehicle that was caught by a surveillance camera speeding away from the scene.

At about 2:30 a.m. Jan. 1, police received reports of a pedestrian who was struck at the corner of Rockaway Boulevard and South Conduit Avenue. Officers from the 105th Precinct responded to the scene and found Thomas Bradley Jr., 52, lying on the ground unconscious and unresponsive, according to the NYPD. He had severe injuries to his body, police said.

Emergency medical workers responded and pronounced Bradley dead at the scene, police said. The NYPD said that its investigation led to suspicions that a vehicle had been traveling eastbound on South Conduit Avenue when it hit Bradley, who had been trying to cross the street. After striking Bradley, the vehicle sped away, fleeing the scene of the incident, according to police.

The NYPD subsequently released video and photographs of a vehicle police suspect may have been involved in Bradley’s death. The car in question is a red Ford Mustang. Police said the video indicated the car had damage on its front passenger side and was missing the front passenger side window.

There had been no arrests as of press time, police said, and the investigation was being conducted by the NYPD’s Collision Investigation Squad.

The Daily News reported that the collision knocked Bradley at least 20 feet from the crosswalk where he was struck, and an eyewitness told the paper he had seen a car “racing” at the site. The stretch on South Conduit Avenue was often used as a spot for drag racing, according to a Facebook posting from an individual who used to work in a hotel along the street.

Bradley lives on 200th Street in St. Albans, according to the NYPD. Bradley’s family told NY1 he was celebrating New Year’s with family on the night of the incident, and said he was a kind man.

“He was good guy, a real good guy. He’ll give you the shirt off his back, that’s true,” the victim’s brother told NY1.

The news of the hit-and-run came as City Councilman Ydannis Rodriguez (D-Manhattan), head of the Council’s Transportation Committee, is pushing for a special fund to offer rewards to individuals who give information leading to the arrest of hit-and-run drivers. Police encourage anyone with any information about Bradley’s death or the vehicle shown in the video to call the NYPD Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1 (800) 577-TIPS or to submit tips online at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com. All tips would be strictly confidential, according to the NYPD.

Reach reporter Patrick Donachie by e-mail at pdonachie@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 260–4573.