Driver Charged With Vehicular Assault After Bushwick Sidewalk Crash

Six people were hospitalized on Thursday afternoon after a car left the roadway and struck pedestrians at a community gathering in Brooklyn.

The crash occurred around 4 p.m. near Knickerbocker Avenue and Bleecker Street in the Bushwick neighborhood. The event was a trunk-or-treat organized by the NYPD 83rd Precinct to celebrate Halloween.

Witnesses reported that a black sedan accelerated onto the sidewalk. The vehicle hit a parked ambulance and struck several people before coming to a stop. Caira Lewis, who was standing on the sidewalk, said she avoided being hit by a narrow margin.

"One second, literally. I was an inch," Lewis told ABC7. "As soon as I got out the cab and stepped on the sidewalk, it came and rammed us. So when it hit the truck, it hit us like it pushed us. But I shifted my baby."

Hospital records show that a 31-year-old woman and her daughters, ages 6 and 11, were treated at Bellevue Hospital. A 53-year-old woman was taken to Elmhurst Hospital. A 74-year-old woman and an 8-year-old boy are currently hospitalized at Wyckoff Heights Medical Center.

Police identified the driver as Michael Marsh, 56. He was arrested at the scene after officers located the vehicle. Witnesses noted that the crash happened outside a police station, which allowed for a rapid response. Marsh was allegedly intoxicated and tested well above the legal blood alcohol limit.

Marsh was charged late Thursday with vehicular assault, reckless endangerment, and driving while impaired and intoxicated. Law enforcement sources indicated there is no evidence the driver targeted the crowd or police officers. The car’s bumper remained at the scene, tangled in candy wrappers from the event.