8 THE QUEENS COURIER • MAY 3, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Vigil set for Saturday following fatal hit-and-run in Woodside
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com/@jen_bagcal
Following the tragic death of 9-yearold
Giovanni Ampuero last Saturday on
Northern Boulevard in Woodside, local
residents are holding a vigil and rally in
his memory this weekend.
Th e Make Queens Safer organization
and Transportation Alternatives Queens,
in partnership with Assemblyman
Michael DenDekker, will hold the rally
at 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, at the site
of the deadly hit-and-run: the corner
of Northern Boulevard and 70th Street
on the border of Woodside and Jackson
Heights.
On April 28 at about 1:23 p.m.,
Ampuero and his mother Karen
Manrique were walking across Northern
Boulevard when they were struck by
Juan Jimenez’s SUV. Th e young boy died
aft er he was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital
Center. Th e 86-year-old driver told law
enforcement that he did not realize that
he hit anyone with his car.
Cristina Furlong, co-founder of
Make Queens Safer said that she has
been advocating for structural and
rule changes to be made on Northern
Boulevard. She added that the work
done on Queens Boulevard is the ideal
model for change, and the former
“Boulevard of Death” has a revamped
reputation because of it.
“Th ey’ve had a 60 percent reduction of
injuries on Queens Boulevard, which is
an example of when the Department of
Transportation decided to be proactive,”
said Furlong.
Th e Queens advocate co-founded
Make Queens Safer with Laura Newman
in 2013, aft er three children were killed
within 10 months on Northern Boulevard
from car-related accidents.
“It’s really raw in our community. We
A vigil is set on 70th Avenue and Northern Boulevard in honor of Giovanni Ampuero
can’t wait for children to die to make a
change,” Furlong said.
She added that changes to Northern
Photo via Twitter/@MakeQueensSafer
Boulevard have been made, but “nothing
comprehensive” has been done to
fi x the issue. Some of the changes made
to Northern Boulevard include the construction
of 11 islands from 61st to 102nd
streets, according to the Department of
Transportation.
Aft er requests from local offi cials,
the DOT proposed pedestrian safety
improvements, including new crosswalks,
simplifi ed vehicular movements,
turn restrictions and timing changes.
Local elected offi cials have passed laws
and made proposals in favor of safe
driving. Assemblyman DenDekker introduced
two pieces of legislation in 2016
that would improve the eff ectiveness of
speed cameras. According to the New
York State Assembly’s website, the legislation
would crack down on unsafe drivers
and protect pedestrians from traffi
c-related accidents and fatalities.
Two important parts of the legislation
were to allow speed cameras to be operational
when school is not in session and
ensuring that if a vehicle has fi ve traffi c
camera violations within one year, the
vehicle’s registration would be suspended
for six months.
“I have a 9-year-old son and he’s the
safest kid you can imagine. But there’s
nothing that can protect him from a
reckless driver. Th e fact that collisions
are repeated is totally unacceptable,”
Furlong said.
She also said that in addition to structural
improvements, changes also had
to be made within the Department of
Motor Vehicles, including a driver test
for senior people.
Plans for a Th ursday press conference
have not been fi nalized by DenDekker’s
offi ce, but updates with details will follow.
Senior driver faces charges in deadly Woodside hit-and-run
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
rpozarycki@qns.com / @robbpoz
An 86-year-old Manhattan man is out
on $10,000 bail aft er being charged for
the April 28 hit-and-run in Woodside
that claimed a 9-year-old boy’s life.
Th e incident occurred at about 1:23
p.m. on April 28 at the intersection of
Northern Boulevard and 70th Street,
near the Woodside/Jackson Heights
border.
Sources said the young boy, identifi
ed as Giovanni Ampuero of 70th
Street, was crossing with his mother at
the intersection when they were both
struck by a red Jeep Compass. Police
said the vehicle was traveling northbound
on 70th Street and turning west
onto Northern Boulevard when it hit
both victims.
According to Assemblyman Michael
DenDekker, the child was hit even
though he had the walk light in his favor.
“Another child hit by a car while
crossing in the crosswalk,” DenDekker
tweeted. “When a pedestrian has a green
walk light ALL cars should be stopped.
We must change the lighting system.
Please pray for the child and his family.”
Offi cers from the 115th Precinct and
EMS units responded to 911 calls about
the incident. Upon arrival, the offi cers
and paramedics found the child with
severe head and torso trauma.
Police on the scene of a deadly hit-and-run on Northern Boulevard in Woodside on April 28.
Paramedics rushed Ampuero to
Elmhurst Hospital, where he was pronounced
dead. His mother reportedly
did not suff er serious bodily injuries.
Th ough the vehicle initially fl ed the
scene, offi cers were able to track down
the driver soon aft er the incident,
according to Make Queens Safer, a street
safety advocacy group.
Photo via Twitter/@MakeQueensSafer
WABC-TV reported that the driver is
an 86-year-old man. Police confi rmed
that the driver — Juan B. Jimenez of
West 119th Street in Manhattan — has
been charged with leaving the scene of
an accident, failure to yield to a pedestrian
and failure to exercise due care.
Jimenez is due back in court on May
11.
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