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Fourth Witness Reports Seeing Police Chase Van Before Fatal Crash

1:02 PM EDT on June 5, 2009

memorial.jpgA sidewalk tribute to Violetta Kryzak. (Image: Greenpoint Gazette)

Another Greenpoint resident has come forward reporting to have seen a police car, in violation of NYPD policy, chasing the speeding white mini-van that took the life of Violetta Kryzak in April.

Earlier this week, a reader who chose to be identified as 'Alex B.' emailed Streetsblog, writing that she had witnessed the chase. In an email exchange that followed, Alex B. explained what she saw: "I was on Manhattan between Norman and Meserole [Editor's note: seven blocks south of where the fatal collision took place] when two cars sped past me -- clearly one chasing the other. I remember being sure that the second car was police, although it was unmarked -- possibly because it had its lights on."

Her account matches the story of three other eyewitnesses. Their testimony runs counter to the version of events given by the 94th Precinct's commanding officer, Deputy Inspector Dennis Fulton, who told attendees of a precinct community council meeting that the department "has no indication that [a police pursuit] happened."

The NYPD’s public information office has not responded to multiple requests for comment.

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