One Dead, Another Critical in Fiery Four-Car Crash on West St. in Tribeca

One person died when a car crashed and burned on West Street, near Laight. Photo: Carl Glassman/Tribeca Trib

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One person died in the mangled wreckage of a car fire on West Street near Laight Saturday morning, and another was critically injured when four cars collided between Laight and Hubert Streets in Tribeca, police said. Two other people were taken to Bellevue Hospital with minor injuries.

Authorities Saturday morning were still investigating the cause of the crash, and information on the dead and injured, or whether there had been any arrests, were not available.  A police spokeswoman said it was believed that one of the cars was traveling at a”high rate of speed.”

One witness, a cleaner for Hudson River Park, said he heard the crash and turned around. “I saw this car, sliding on its side, and went up in flames.” The man, who declined to give his name, said construction workers in the area estimated the car was going between 80 and 100 miles an hour. When they saw it, one of them told him they said, “Holy sh—, he’s going to kill somebody.”