Surveillance video allegedly shows NYPD officers leaving scene of deadly crash
Surveillance footage allegedly shows two New York City police officers leaving the scene of a deadly crash in northern Manhattan earlier this year.
The crash happened in Inwood just after 4 a.m. on April 2.
In the footage, a driver is seen speeding down the Dyckman Street exit off the Henry Hudson Parkway southbound before crashing and catching on fire.
Seconds later, an NYPD police cruiser also takes the exit, but it makes a left at the end of the ramp and appears to leave the scene.
Fire trucks later arrive and put the flames out.
"Those two cops played judge, jury and executioner"
Francisco Andres Guzman Parra, 31, died in the crash. His family couldn't hold back the tears as they watched the video for the first time.
"They could've helped get him out, get him assistance," stepmother Carmen Colon said. "When we see that video, we're seeing a crime being committed."
"It's enraging, honestly. In that one moment, those two cops played judge, jury and executioner. They all of a sudden determined when and how this guy would survive or not survive," family attorney Jeremy Feigenbaum said.
The attorney says emergency crews didn't arrive until 20 minutes after the crash.
"To think he was in that car suffering for that long. One minute's too long. Imagine more than 15 minutes," sister Shakira Guzman said.
"His body was completely burned to a degree where we had to use dental records to be able to identify him," Colon said.
Guzman Parra's family says he came to the United States from the Dominican Republic at the age of 5 and was undocumented. They believe he was likely fleeing the police that night in fear of being deported.
Police say Guzman Parra was speeding and the vehicle he was driving was stolen.
"If he was doing something wrong, get him help, get him to the hospital, cuffed to the bed, and process him," Colon said. "But you don't leave him there to die. Not only to die, but to burn."
The NYPD says the two officers are suspended with pay. The force investigation division continues to investigate.
