Driver arrested in caught-on-camera hit and run of 14-year-old girl in Brooklyn
Naveen Dhaliwal has the latest on the arrest in a Brooklyn hit-and-run.
BOROUGH PARK, Brooklyn (WABC) — Police have arrested a woman they say struck a 14-year-old girl with her car as the victim was crossing a street in Brooklyn.
Authorities say 49-year-old Julia Litmonovich was taken into custody Wednesday in connection with the hit and run that left Xinyi Wang severely bruised.
“When I turned around, I saw a car just moving very fast, and I want to go away, but I can’t,” Wang said. “When I see the video I’m like ‘oh, oh.'”
The blow was so severe that it pushed Wang into traffic on Ninth Avenue near 47th Street in Borough Park on March 27.
Police say Litmonovich was driving a black Dodge Challenger with Georgia plates, and they say she took off after blowing a red light and slamming into Wang as she stood at the crosswalk.
Initially, the suspect did get out to see if the teen was OK. She also and asked Wang if she wanted to be taken home.
“I say no, because I didn’t know where she would try to take me,” Wang said. “She said she was parking her car on the other side, but she just run away.”
Wang is a freshman at High School for Dual Language and Asian Studies in Manhattan. That day, she hopped on the D train in Chinatown and got off at the Fort Hamilton Parkway stop. She then walked the same route she does every day.
“My father says when you hit a person, you have to take responsibility,” she said. “You can’t just run away.”
Wang was taken to Maimonides Hospital with bruising to her torso and legs.
Litmonovich faces multiple charges, including leave injury accident, reckless endangerment, assault and reckless driving.
Litmonovich apparently has around 40 prior arrests for a variety of crimes. One of those arrests was back in 2007, where she apparently left the scene of an accident in Staten Island.
Mother speaks out against DHS ‘Operation Midway Blitz’ being named for daughter killed in DUI crash
Undocumented DUI driver agrees to plea deal in deaths of Katie Abraham, another woman in Urbana crash, officials say
Katie Abraham’s mother is criticizing DHS’ immigration “Operation Midway Blitz” in Chicago being named for her daughter killed in an Urbana DUI crash.
CHICAGO (WLS) — When “Operation Midway Blitz” was first announced back in early September, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said it was being launched in honor of Katie Abraham, a young woman who was killed in Urbana by a drunk driver who happens to be undocumented.
Abraham’s mother is now speaking out. She says this should not be her daughter’s legacy.
ABC7 Chicago is now streaming 24/7. Click here to watch
“I’m here because Katie’s not here,” Denise Lorence said.
That is the very first thing Lorence wanted ABC7 Chicago to know as she sat down to talk Wednesday, six weeks after the launch of “Operation Midway Blitz” in the Chicago area.
“It’s not consistent with who she was. It doesn’t align with who she was,” Lorence said. “She was compassionate. She was empathetic. She was caring. She was loving beyond belief.”
RELATED | Chicago federal intervention: Tracking surge in immigration enforcement operations | Live updates
Abraham was 20 years old. She died in Urbana on January 19, when police say an SUV driven by an undocumented drunk driver slammed into the vehicle she and her friends were riding in. A second woman died the next day. The man charged with their deaths is undocumented. But, her mother said that is not the point.
“It was a drunk driver that killed her. It was bad decision making by a human being that killed her,” Lorence said. “Whether or not she would believe in this operation is not what we’re here to talk about… She’s being attached to it and she doesn’t have a voice to say if she wants to or not.”
Abraham’s name was attached to “Operation Midway Blitz” with her father Joe Abraham’s blessing. He spoke to ABC7 back in September. Because of that, Katie Abraham’s mother waited to speak out.
“He’s going through a lot,” Lorence said. “He’s going through a lot of grief and so am I.”
DHS shared a statement from Joe Abraham with ABC7 on Wednesday:
“DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz in honor of my daughter, Katie Abraham, who was killed in Illinois by a criminal illegal alien drunk driver who should have never been in our country.
“Sanctuary policies helped kill Katie. As compassionate as she was, Katie would not sacrifice other people’s lives just for the sake of bringing in illegals. I gave my permission to conduct Operation Midway Blitz in Katie’s honor, and I stand by it.”
Joe Abraham also shared the following statement with ABC7:
“DHS launched Operation Midway Blitz in honor of my daughter, Katie Abraham, a young woman with a big heart and a bright future who was killed in Urbana by a criminal illegal alien drunk driver who never should have been in this country.
“Sanctuary policies failed Katie and they’re failing communities across America. Katie cared deeply about people, but she would never believe that compassion means turning a blind eye to danger. I gave my blessing to launch this operation in her name because it’s about protecting other families from living the nightmare that mine lives every day. I stand proudly behind it.”
The man charged with killing both Katie Abraham and her friend, Julio Cucul Bol, has agreed to a plea deal and is scheduled to appear in court in Urbana on Friday, where her parents expect he will be sentenced. A federal case against him is still pending.
‘Covered in her brother’s blood’: Mom speaks on teen drunk driving after her 2 kids were involved in deadly DUI wreck
Moriah Ballard, Digital Reporter
Published: June 13, 2024 at 8:52 AMUpdated: June 14, 2024 at 6:59 AMTags: 100 Deadliest Days of Summer, AAA, Drunk driving, Teenage driving, Road safety, DUI, DWI
WILLIS, Texas – A Montogomery County mother shared a heartbreaking story with the community in an effort to highlight the dangers of teenage drunk driving as summer break begins.
On Wednesday, AAA and the Harris County Sherriff’s Office hosted a news conference about teenager safety for their ‘100 Deadliest Days of Summer’ campaign.
During the event, Kelly and James Walker took to the podium to speak about her son who was tragically killed in a DUI-related vehicle incident back in 2022.
‘Covered in her brother’s blood’: Mom speaks on teen drunk driving
2.7KPlay Video
Kelly said their son, 16-year-old Garrett Spry, was hanging out with his sister Marissa and her friend on March 26, 2022.
At some point during the night, the teens stopped by the store to grab some liquor, went to a nearby park, and drank the alcohol.
More Stories Like This In Our Email NewsletterEmail AddressCLICK HERE
At around 4 a.m., the teens were reportedly heading back home when they stopped to do donuts in the vehicle in an empty parking lot, according to Kelly.
“They found the perfect spot,” she said. “A gravel, rock lot with a power pole and dumpsters right in the middle.”
Kelly says that’s when things took a turn for the worse. “The vehicle’s tire caught the guy wire attached to the utility pole and flipped onto its side. The driver was unharmed. Marissa was taken to the hospital for observation. And Garrett died on impact.”
Kelly said that when she and her husband arrived at the scene, paramedics handed her Marissa and then asked if she had another child.
She told officials about Garrett and was then told a parent’s worst nightmare… Garrett didn’t make it.
That’s when she said she realized that her daughter was standing before her “covered in her brother’s blood.”
“Marissa had to sit there and wait, covered in her brother’s blood, with his lifeless body until the first responders arrived,” she said.
SEE ALSO: Teen charged with murder after car chase ends in fatal NW Harris County crash
Additionally, Garrett was also not wearing his seatbelt, which is another leading cause of deadly crashes.
“We pray that through our story, no other families will have to endure what we’ve been through,” Kelly said. “We don’t get to see Garrett graduate this year, nor will we see him go on to marry, and start a family of his own.”
Harris County deputies say that in 2023 alone, crashes involving teenage drivers caused 23 fatalities and 85 serious injuries in our area.
AAA corporate communications manager Doug Shupe said from 2013 to 2022, more than 7,000 people lost their lives in teen-related crashes during the summer.
Kelly wants to remind teenagers and parents of a few things: “Think before you get behind the wheel. Be smart. Drive safely. Buckle up. Good decisions change lives too.”
According to WeSaveLives.org, the 100 deadliest days of summer begin Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.
Throughout this time, teen drivers are reportedly about 25% more likely to be in a car crash. Experts say that this is especially alarming because even under normal circumstances, drivers under the age of 20 are three times more likely to crash than drivers in the general population.
On their website, experts listed some facts about teenage drivers:
- Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens.
- Teens between the ages of 16 and 19 have the highest crash rate of any age group.
- 60% of teen crashes today are caused by distracted driving.
- Surprisingly, the top distraction for teens is other passengers, accounting for 15% of teen driver crashes, compared to 12 % caused by texting or talking on a cell phone.
- During 2020 about 8 teens died each day and hundreds more were injured in motor vehicle crashes.
- 44% of motor vehicle crash deaths among teens ages 13–19 occurred between 9 pm and 6 am, and 50% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday in 2020.2
- Among teen drivers and passengers 16–19 years of age who were killed in car crashes in 2020, 56% were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.
