A man believed to have been asleep on the beach at Coney Island was hit and killed by a man driving a New York City Parks Department vehicle on Monday.
Per a report on Tuesday from CBS News, the truck in question was finishing up a cleaning of the beach area when the driver “didn’t see the man” and ran him over, killing him. The incident is said to have occurred just before 3 a.m. local time on Monday at Stillwell Avenue near Riegelmann Boardwalk, with the man—who, at the time of this writing, has not been named or otherwise identified in subsequent reports—ultimately being pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
In a statement to a regional CBS outlet, a parks department rep was quoted as calling the deadly incident a “horrific tragedy” that was now the subject of an internal investigation. Additionally, the New York City Police Department is also said to be investigating the death.
The driver of the truck, who is an employee of the city’s Parks Department, is reported to have stayed at the scene at the time. Additional information, however, was not initially made public by investigating authorities.
It’s routine for such vehicles to be on the beach during overnight hours to conduct cleanup procedures, namely due to litter from visitors.
When reached for comment by Complex on Tuesday, an NYPD rep offered the following:
“On Monday, July 18, 2022 at 0248 hours police officers responded to the vicinity of Stillwell Avenue and Riegelmann Boardwalk within the confines of the 60th Precinct for an individual struck while on the beach at that location. Preliminary investigation determined that a Ford F250( Parks Department vehicle) was exiting the beach and struck a 47-year old male who was sleeping on the beach. The male was pronounced deceased at the scene. The operator of the Ford F 250 remained at the scene. The investigation is ongoing by the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad.”
Complex has also reached out to the Parks Department for additional comment on the investigation. This post may be updated with new information as it becomes available.
