A Long Islander fleeing police in Astoria rammed his ghost car into a group of pedestrians in front of The Queensboro in Jackson Heights, injuring two. Via Google Maps
Dec. 16, 2024 By Bill Parry
A stolen ghost-car driver was fleeing from police when he lost control of a white BMW and slammed into a group of four pedestrians in front of a popular Jackson Heights eatery early Sunday morning.
Two people were injured in the crash that occurred at around 1:42 a.m. in front of The Queensboro restaurant at 80-02 Northern Blvd.
The driver and his passenger fled the scene after the collision and were seen running southbound on 80th Street toward Roosevelt Avenue.
EMS responded to the scene and transported a 23-year-old man and a 28-year-old woman to Elmhurst Hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
Police from the 115th Precinct in Jackson Heights spotted one of the men minutes later and took him into custody.
Fabrice Bayonne, 32, of Washington Avenue in Amityville, was booked at the precinct, after it was determined that he was the passenger who fled the scene of the crash. The driver of the ghost car remains at large. Bayonne was arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on Monday on a complaint charging him with criminal possession of stolen property and other related crimes.
According to the criminal complaint, Bayonne was riding in the white BMW when a cop from the 114th Precinct observed it at the intersection of 31st Avenue and 48th Street. After running the Florida plates through an NYPD date base, records showed the license plate was not registered to any vehicle. The officer attempted to make a car stop, but the driver fled the scene at a high rate of speed, driving on the opposite side of the road and speeding through multiple red lights.
The officer next saw the white BMW after it crashed into the pedestrians and then collided with the FDNY call box on the corner. Investigators also determined that the BMW had been stolen in Huntington in late July.
An FDNY emergency call box on the corner stopped the BMW from crashing into the popular eatery. Photos Courtesy of Dudley Stewart
As FDNY workers replaced the emergency call box on Monday morning, Dudley Stewart, one of the owners of The Queensboro, told QNS he was thankful the collision occurred at that hour of the morning.
“Nobody was around at that time, so none of our employees or customers were here,” Stewart said. “And we are very fortunate the firebox was there to stop the BMW, or it would have surely slammed into our restaurant, which would have been a disaster this close to the holidays.”
Police said the BMW driver is still being sought, and the investigation remains ongoing. Bayonne’s bail was set at $10,000 cash and $30,000 bond, and he was ordered to return to court on Dec. 20.
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