Bad Driver or Bizarre 9/11 Re-Enactment?

By Aaron Naparstek
Sep 13, 2006

September 13, 2006 — A Long Island driver turned his car into a deadly missile yesterday when he hit a dirt mound, zoomed 200 feet through the air and crash-landed into the second floor of an apartment complex, police said.

The horrifying morning mishap in Coram killed the driver, Vincent Pontillo, 43, but his car miraculously missed terrified tenant Amrita Bijoor when the car came to a stop in her bathroom.

"I heard a thud and I just got out of there," said Bijoor, who was in her bedroom getting ready for work when the car crashed only 10 feet away from her.

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It's crowded on that bridge. Photo: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

Queensboro Bridge Bike Numbers Soaring as DOT Stalls Separate Walking Path

By Kevin Duggan | Jun 7, 2023

If you don’t build it, they’ll still come.

The DOT is hoping that moving Fordham Road's bus lane off the curb will mean fewer scenes like this BX9 caught in traffic. Photo: Dave Colon

DOT Nixes Fordham Road Busway Due To ‘Community Concerns’

By Dave Colon | Jun 7, 2023

Fordham Road won't be getting a proposed busway after the Department of Transportation bowed to "community concerns" and opted for the potential changes to the corridor with the least benefit for bus riders.

Amy Cohen has begun her hunger strike for safety in Albany. Photo: Families for Safe Streets

‘Sammy’s Law’ Hunger Strike Begins at State Capitol

By Julianne Cuba | Jun 6, 2023

Two mothers whose children were killed by reckless drivers have begun a hunger strike that they'll continue until Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) brings to the floor a long-stalled bill that would allow New York City to set its own speed limits.

Families for Safe Streets members Amy Cohen and Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio will start a hunger strike today.

Tuesday’s Headlines: Hunger Strike Edition

By Streetsblog Editorial Board | Jun 6, 2023

Two members of Families for Safe Streets will begin a hunger strike at the state Capitol to protest the state legislature's failure to pass a bill to allow New York City to set its own speed limits. Plus other news.

The intersection where Dolma Naadhum, 7, (inset) was killed by a driver on Feb. 17. File image

CB1 Members Demand Universal Daylighting After Drivers Kill Two Kids

By Kevin Duggan | Jun 6, 2023

The city must clear all intersections of parked cars that block visibility, demanded community board members in Astoria.

Fabiola Mendieta-Cuapio protested in front of Carl Heastie's office. (The Speaker was not there, but he is in the inset.) Photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Supporters of Sammy’s Law Remain Angry over Assembly Speaker’s Inaction on Speed Limit Reduction

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jun 5, 2023

Members of Families for Safe Streets rallied on Monday outside of Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie's office to demand he pass a bill that would allow New York City to set its own speed limits, and expressed confusion as to why the speaker had reportedly stalled the widely supported legislation.