5-Year-Old Hit and Killed by Minivan on Empire Blvd.

A tragic scene unfolded Sunday evening in Crown Heights, where a 5-year-old boy was run over and killed by a minivan that was backing up. Both the driver and the victim are members of Crown Heights’ African-American community.

The incident occurred Sunday evening at about 8:30pm on Empire Blvd. between Nostrand and Rogers Aves. The boy, Rashard Charles, was walking with his mother after having just left their apartment building, when he darted into the street. He was hit by a tan Honda Odyssey that was backing up.

The boy was given emergency treatment by EMS, and later taken to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver of the minivan, Elizabeth Mayard, 23, at first fled the scene, but later returned. She was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, reckless driving and other traffic violations, police said.

1 2 3

27 Comments

  • arrested ?

    so when a jew is killed by a sanitation worker there was no arrest but in this case where it was a simple accident police were able to make a arrest?

    • CHLeaks.com

      An arrest was made (as the article points out) because.the driver fleed the scene of the accident. You never flee a scene of an accident!!!

      The incident with the Jew getting hit by a garbage truck was nothing more then an accident.

      As sad as the incident (where a Jew was killed) was and is and no matter how emotional you get, nothing will change the fact that it was an accident.

    • Anonymous

      To the best of my knowledge, the sanitation worker didn’t flee the scene. I still hope that he has his license revoked and that he is sued for vehicular manslaughter in civil court.

    • ???

      Sanitation driver wasn’t doing anything wrong. Minivan driver was backing up. It is illegal to back up on a street unless you are getting into a parking spot

  • response to comment #1

    Both were accidents. The difference is the sanitation driver stayed at the scene and here the other driver sped off turning it into a Hit & Run.

  • Get your facts straight

    to #1 He ran away from the scene! and he probably had a rap sheet! The sanitation driver stayed on scene and unfortunately it was an accident in that case.

    • awesome

      You title your post ‘get your facts straight’ when yours are not! The driver was female!!

  • CH Homeowner

    Yes, because the driver “fled the scene”. Has nothing to do with Jewish / not Jewish.

  • Don't be an idiot.

    The arrest was for leaving the scene of an accident, not for the accident.

  • Bubby

    The driver was 23 she was probably scared. She did return to the scene. I’m sure neither driver arrested or not life’s will be the same.

  • To 7

    Don’t tell people to get their facts straight when you don’t even know if it’s a male or female by the way it was a female

  • Nechama

    My condolences to the Charles family.. so horrible to lose their precious child!!

  • Terrible!

    It’s terrible when these things happen. Five year olds do times run into the street….
    Sounds like an unfortunate accident and the driver panicked for whatever reason.
    My heart goes out to the family,,,

  • have you passed your driver's test?!?!!?!?

    I don’t know where you pple live, but where I come from no matter if the person leaves the scene or not, PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY…..there is no way, the sanitation truck had the right of way the same time the bochur was crossing the street…..that was NO ACCIDENT!!!!!!

    • CHLEAKS.COM

      You must be right, after all you KNOW FOR A FACT that the garbage truck driver got up in the morning and proclaimed “today I’m gonna hit me a Jew with my truck”.

      It’s just to bad you were not on the investigating team that morning. Had you been on that team we would have seen justice served.

      By the way, let me ask you.
      What would you have said if G-d forbid the truck driver was a fellow Jew? Would you have the same opinion or would you be more open minded (about the realty of the situation?

  • How difficult is to understand!?!? Ad Mosai?!?!?

    Where will comments like #1 & #4 lead us?

    #1, forgive me, but who are you to judge? What do you know that others don’t? Is this the proper way to mourn the loss of a fellow jew or G-d forbid, hotzaat shem ra?

    #4, I am sorry, how about you? For sure it seems like you do know exactly what happened as per your wishes for the truck driver!

    I knew the bokhur personally! He was a terrific young man! I am so very much sorry for his life to be taken so early. I am so very sorry for his parents. I don’t understand why – why him… why now… why why why… but I don’t have the courage to say, G-d forbid, what I don’t know! All I hear and read seems to indicate that, unfortunately, it was an accident. I am sorry for the driver too, and I don’t believe this is the appropriate way to give the bokhur the proper respect!

    I am also very sorry for the parents of the 5 year old boy. It is hard to even think about the pain that they are going through. May HaShem help them! The article indicates that this incident was also an accident – “when he darted into the street” – The driver was obviously wrong in fleeing from the scene and that, it seems, the reason for her arrest! Who am I to say/judge what went through her mind!? But at least she came back!! Can you imagine what she too will carry for the rest of her life? Even if she is not guilty! Which seems, according to the article, to be the case.

    Let’s pay the proper respect to the victims. Let’s gear the energy of our frustration in an appropriate manner. The one that will bring Moshiach NOW!!!!

    Ad Mosai?!!!!

  • to number 16

    to number 16: there was a video, the bochurim were talking on the corner. the truck turned the corner, the bochurim turned towards the street and one slipped under the middle of the truck. yes a complete accident.

  • Sanitation

    The bochurim had the right of way and the sanitation driver should have been at least ticketed.

    The reason the police did not ticket the sanitation driver –
    because if they would ticket the sanitation driver – it would cost the city millions in sueing. Now that there was not ticket it is an ACCIDENT.

  • OMG!!!!!!!!

    so sad!!!!!!!!!!! I feel so bad for the mother and father!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(

  • me

    # 18. you are a fool. do you really have a lic.? are you a lawyer ?
    video shows that the bochur slipped on ice and went under the truck. = accident…….

    # 24. I guess you was there and saw the driver turn the truck so that he will run over the bochur, nothing like 6-8 hours of paperwork drug testing forms to fill out. questions to answer over and over..
    Again lets go to the video tape..
    @@ Two foolish silly want to be lawyers who know less then nothing about everything.@@

    AND TO # 19.
    Very well said, thank you very much. Nice to see that there is someone that can use their mind and think.