Pedestrian Run Over In Crown Heights Shabbos Hit-And-Run: Police

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — Police are seeking the driver who slammed into a man in Crown Heights then sped away from the scene, according to officials.

The 55-year-old man was crossing Union Street near Albany Avenue Friday about 5 p.m. when a driver crashed into him, police said.

The 55-year-old was rushed to Cobble Hill Health Center for medical treatment, officials said.

No arrests had been made as of Monday morning, according to police.

A spokesperson for Chabad Lubavich, a religious organization, released video that shows the driver's silver Mercedes sedan turning against a red light as it hits the victim (Warning: footage has sound and is disturbing).

The driver then accelerates, driving over the man's legs as he screams in pain. A witness then runs down the street calling for help.

Because the car seemed to accelerate after hitting the victim, some in the community wonder if the crash was a hate crime.

Local publication The Jewish Voice wrote on Twitter that the police are investigating the crash as a hate crime, but the NYPD couldn't confirm the claim.

The Crown Heights Shomrim, a private neighborhood police group, released a photo of the suspected car, leading internet sleuths to determine that the vehicle has racked up a number of motor vehicle violations, including at least 73 school zone speed camera violations last year.

Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).