Man Arrested After Critical Lenox Hill Early AM Crash Thursday: Cops

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A Staten Island man was high on drugs and behind the wheel when he crashed into a 71-year-old woman on the Upper East Side early Thursday morning, according to police.

Sebastian Rzepka, 29, was arrested and charged with operating vehicle while impaired by drugs and driving while ability impaired, police told Patch on Monday morning.

The 71-year-old woman was crossing York Avenue near East 68th Street about 6:20 a.m. Thursday when a 2014 Toyota Rav-4 turned right from East 68th Street and smashed into her, police said.

The crash took place kitty corner from New York Presbyterian - Weil Cornell Medical Center, where first responders rushed the woman in critical condition, police said.

Officials said that the woman suffered severe head trauma — severe enough that her condition was reported as potentially fatal.

When asked for an update on the victim's condition, police did not respond.

Rzepka remained at the scene and was officially cuffed and booked at around 9:40 a.m. Thursday by officers from the 19th Precinct.

In the initial aftermath, a police spokesperson erroneously told Patch that the victim was 65-year-old on Thursday.