Fleet Week got off to a grisly start early Thursday morning when a 22-year-old marine was fatally struck by a car on the West Side Highway—a mere 200 yards from his ship, the USS Iwo Jima.
The Marine, whose identity is being withheld pending notification of his next of kin, got out of a taxi with some shipmates a little after 1 a.m. and was crossing the West Side Highway at West 49th Street when the accident occurred, police said. He was hit by a 2003 Acura heading south. The driver of the vehicle initially kept going but stopped after a block, walked back to the scene and reportedly called 911.
The Marine was pronounced dead at the scene, no one else was hurt. Investigators currently think the collision was an accident and no charges are expected.
"This is a tragic event and a very sad day for the Marine Corps family and our thoughts and prayers are with our marine and his family," Col. Frank Donovan said early today. "During the rest of Fleet Week, we ask the citizens of New York to provide their thoughts and prayers for our Marine and his family."
