Astoria Hit-And-Run Leaves Pedestrian Critically Injured, Police Say

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A hit-and-run driver struck a man who was crossing an Astoria street early Friday, leaving him in critical condition, police said.

The 33-year-old man was crossing 31st Avenue at 33rd Street, heading north, just after 3:30 a.m. Friday, as someone in a black sedan drove west along 31st Avenue.

The driver struck the man in the intersection and fled the scene, police said. Officers found the pedestrian unconscious and unresponsive, lying on the street with head and body trauma.

The man was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital, where he remained in critical condition by Friday afternoon, police said.

Nobody has been arrested but police are still investigating the crash. On weekends, the same intersection forms part of the 31st Avenue Open Street, though it was not in operation when the crash happened.

The crash came on the heels of an especially deadly week on New York City's streets, with several pedestrians and cyclists killed within just a couple of days — including a Bronx high schooler and an NYU student who was hit in Manhattan on Monday by an Astoria man accused of driving drunk.

At least 73 people have been killed by a traffic crash this year in the city, according to records compiled by Transportation Alternatives, putting New York City on pace to have one of its deadliest years on the streets.