A 6-year-old boy was left with a fractured skull after he was struck by a motorbike rider on a walkway during a hit-and-run incident inside a Manhattan park, police said.
The incident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Sunday in East Harlem's Thomas Jefferson Park, near East 111th Street and First Avenue, according to police. A man was riding the motorized vehicle while on a walkway for pedestrians inside the park when he struck the young boy from behind.
The child, identified by his mother as Henry Diaz, was thrown to the ground and was immediately rushed to the hospital in critical condition. He was diagnosed with a brain bleed and multiple skull fractures before being transferred to the pediatric care unit at NY-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, where he was clinging to life as of Monday afternoon.
The boy's mother, Nereida Marin, said they were celebrating Father's Day in the park — a place where Henry, who is autistic, likes to go because he can be surrounded by nature. They were leaving when they heard a noise and next thing she knew, her son was down. She said her husband tried to lunge for him and pull the boy out of the way, but missed.
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"He wasn't in time to catch my son," Marin said.
Marin told NBC New York that her son opened his eyes Monday morning, so she's hopeful he will survive. But she also said she knows it will be a long road ahead of him — and is worried what happened may have changed her child forever.
"He likes to play with kids, even though they don't pay attention to him. Calling them friends. He likes to see the plants. He's a happy child," she said.
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Henry's 1-year-old brother, who was in a stroller at the time, was not injured.
The driver of the motorbike initially remained at the scene for a few minutes, but took off before officers arrived. The mother said the driver stopped and started at the injured child, but didn't say a word before he left when he heard sirens.
"I got angry and I feel bad because he's the one that caused the accident to my son. He was the cause of it and he didn't ask how my son was doing," Marin said.
Police are searching for the man who was last seen riding the vehicle north in the park toward East 114th Street and Pleasant Avenue. Many who live in the area and frequent the park said that mopeds and motorbikes are a common issue in the area, and they want more police or park supervision.
No arrests have yet been made. An investigation is ongoing.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website.
