Seven people are dead after a car plunged over 100 feet off the Bronx River Parkway and landed in a ravine early this afternoon. According to an NYPD spokesperson, the car was carrying four adults and three children and was traveling southbound on the Bronx River Parkway when it hit the median, swerved across all lanes of traffic and went over the railing, landing in a ravine just south of the Bronx Zoo.
The spokesperson said the incident occurred shortly after 12:00 p.m. in the area somewhere between West 183rd and West 185, and that police are still investigating the crash.
[UPDATE] Citing police and FDNY sources (our efforts to get through the FDNY's press line have been unsuccessful) the Post reports that the incident occurred around 12:30 p.m., and that the vehicle was a van. The paper also notes that the vehicle fell 150 feet before crashing, and quotes an FDNY source at the scene: “It’s terrible, just carnage. The passengers didn’t stand a chance."
The Daily News also has a photo of the scene of the crash. The victims included an 84-year-old man, three women aged 80, 45 and 30, and three girls, aged 12, 10, and 7.
Police told NBC that the van was traveling around 70 mph when the incident occurred, and that the 45-year-old woman was driving. The speed limit is 45 mph.
