A school bus hit and killed a 9-year-old boy in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, prompting renewed calls from residents and city leaders for safety improvements at a busy intersection, reported ABC News 7.
According to the news report, police identified the child as Yoel Jacobowitz. He was crossing the street May 1 on his way to school, when the school bus hit him around 8:15 a.m. in South Williamsburg.
Investigators said a private Yeshiva school bus was turning onto Lorimer Street at the time. The 49-year-old driver, who was not identified at this reportg, initially continued driving after hitting the child. The driver then returned to the scene once alerted of the school bus hit the boy. Jacobowitz was pronounced dead at the scene. No charges had been filed, and the investigation remains ongoing.
The crash stunned members of the neighborhood’s Orthodox Jewish community, many of whom gathered nearby in prayer and mourning while expressing frustration over traffic conditions and street safety.
Traffic Patterns, Congestion Blamed
“The traffic here is crazy. There needs to be some guidance and some rules,” one resident told local news reporters.
Residents said the intersection has become increasingly hazardous, especially because of ongoing construction work that has left the area without clearly marked crosswalks and street markings.
“It’s a very, very busy intersection,” another community member said. “We have a lot going on, a lot of stores and a lot of people crossing over. We need something to be done so this doesn’t keep happening.”
Witnesses and neighbors described the area as especially crowded May 1 as families prepared for Shabbat.
City leaders urged the New York City Department of Transportation to examine signal timing and consider immediate changes to improve conditions for pedestrians. Mayor Zohran Mamdani reportedly said that he was “devastated” by the child’s death and called the crash “a painful reminder” of the need to make city streets safer for pedestrians.
Related: N.Y. Child Struck, Killed by School Bus
Related: 14-Year-Old Struck by School Bus in New Jersey
Related: Massachusetts Student Struck, Killed by School Bus
Related: Louisiana Student Struck and Killed by School Bus
