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One Killed, 6 Injured in Fiery Crash on Brooklyn Bridge One Killed, 6 Injured in Fiery Crash on Brooklyn Bridge
(about 7 hours later)
[What you need to know to start your day: Get New York Today in your inbox.] The driver of a Ford pickup truck traveling on the Brooklyn Bridge rear-ended a Nissan on Wednesday morning, setting off a six-car crash that ignited a fiery explosion and left a 32-year-old man dead, the police said.
One person was killed when three vehicles on the Brooklyn Bridge erupted into flames after a crash Wednesday, forcing the shutdown of the bridge during the morning commute, fire officials said. Firefighters pulled the man, Kristopher Hambas, of Scarsdale, N.Y., unconscious from his vehicle, a Volkswagen, the police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Four vehicles were traveling on the Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge about 7:15 a.m. when they spun out of control, a spokesman for the Fire Department said. Three of the vehicles burst into flames, the spokesman said. Six people sustained minor injuries. Six others sustained minor injuries, officials said, including the driver of the pickup truck.
According to two city officials, one aggressive driver appeared to trigger the crash. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was continuing. The bridge was shut down for more than an hour during the morning commute, officials said. Sixty fire and emergency personnel rushed to the scene, where three vehicles were on fire.
Videos of the incident showed that the vehicles came to a stop on the roadway entering Brooklyn, away from the middle of the bridge over the East River. According to the Fire Department, 12 units from both sides of the bridge responded, and 60 personnel were involved. According to the police, the pickup truck was traveling on the Brooklyn-bound side of the bridge at about 7:15 a.m. when it slammed into a Nissan, causing the car to strike the median. The truck then hit Mr. Hambas’s vehicle, pushing it into a concrete barrier, where it then burst into flames.
Dark plumes of smoke billowed from the thick flames, which were captured by television helicopter crews and posted on social media by onlookers. Mr. Hambas’s car rear-ended a fourth vehicle, which struck a fifth, which then rear-ended a sixth.
Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly after 8 a.m., the Fire Department spokesman said. Dark plumes of smoke billowed from the thick flames, images of which were captured by television helicopter crews and posted on social media by onlookers.
Firefighters extinguished the flames shortly after 8 a.m., a Fire Department spokesman said.
All lanes on the bridge were reopened by 1 p.m., the authorities said.All lanes on the bridge were reopened by 1 p.m., the authorities said.
Justin Kaplan, 30, grew up down the street from Mr. Hambas in Westchester County and had been his best friend since childhood. The two worked together at a tattoo shop in White Plains before Mr. Hambas left to work in the film industry.
“It’s still not real, he was like a brother to me and so many,” Mr. Kaplan said. “He was on his way to a film shoot to pursue his dreams. Nobody ever thought it would come to that tragic of an ending.”
There were no arrests in the incident, the police said, and the investigation was continuing.