Ebrahim Kebe, 4, Killed by Driver in the Bronx, No Charges Filed

A 4-year-old child was killed while playing outside his home on a residential street in the Bronx on Tuesday.

Ebrahim Kebe was struck by the driver of a minivan on Topping Avenue in Mount Hope at approximately 6 p.m., according to reports. He was pronounced dead at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital.

The driver who killed Ebrahim Kebe was reported to be exonerated by NYPD within four hours.

Like clockwork, the Post weighed in with the requisite dose of victim-blaming:

Residents said that children on the street dart into traffic constantly, and that there had been several other near misses in recent weeks.

Translation: Rather than expect drivers to exercise caution on a block lined with homes where small children live, families should keep their kids away from the damn street.

Ebrahim Kebe is at least the third “darting child” to die in New York City traffic in 2012. Earlier this month, 3-year-old Kevin Rodriguez was run over by an ambulette driver in front of his parents in Coney Island. In April, Timothy Keith, age 5, was struck by a yellow cab driver in front of his parents in Cobble Hill.

Last summer, 6-year-old Zhaneya Butcher was killed as she ran toward an ice cream truck in Jamaica. The driver was charged with DWI and manslaughter but was ultimately sentenced to probation and a six-month license revocation.

Though the Post story says the motorist did not stop after striking Ebrahim until alerted by screaming witnesses, according to DNAinfo, “officers told Ebrahim’s family the driver was not speeding.”

“It’s an accident waiting to happen,” said Junior Nunez, who has lived on the block for 15 years and said he frequently sees kids playing in the street, especially in the summer.

While Topping Avenue is a quiet residential street, the block where the accident occurred is adjacent to the Cross Bronx Expressway, and neighbors said cars often race up the street during rush hour as they take a shortcut through the neighborhood.

“When the block seems empty people think they can speed through here,” said Queenie, a mother of five who lives on the block.

Kids in the street in the summertime. What motorist could possibly be expected to be prepared for such a scenario. By 10:11 p.m., when DNAinfo last updated its story, NYPD had publicly exonerated the driver.

This fatal crash occurred in the 46th Precinct. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Deputy Inspector John Hart, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 46th Precinct council meetings happen at 7 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month at the precinct, 2120 Ryer Avenue. Call the precinct at 718-220-5234 for information.

The City Council district where Ebrahim Kebe was killed is represented by Fernando Cabrera. To encourage Cabrera to take action to improve street safety in his district and citywide, contact him at 212-788-7074 or fcabrera@council.nyc.gov.

  • AC

    yes, keep your kids out of the street. i have a friend who destroyed some kid’s leg by accident when the kid darted out to the street. he wasn’t speeding either. he was sued too, but it was kicked out of court because it was the kid’s fault

    there are enough NASCAR wannabes in the street, but your kids runs out in the street right in front of a car its impossible to stop in time. even if you’re not speeding

  • Anonymous

    Strict Liability Laws.  If I hit a darting kid and he dies or is seriously injured, and for which, I’d be legally responsible, then, I will drive more carefully.

    How hard is that?

  • Ben Kintisch

    The blame-the-victim thing is disgusting, but that’s standard practice for the NY Post. If a kid is hit by a car in the ‘burbs, it would be a community tragedy. When it’s a black kid in a poor neighborhood, the press and the NYPD quickly blame the parents and exonerate the driver. Reprehensible and so sad.

  • JamesR

    So tired of having to hear about these kinds of tragedies, especially when they befall young children. Honestly, I find myself coming to Streetsblog less and less because it’s all just too damn sad, I can’t do anything to stop the carnage, and the pace of change is glacial. Seemingly nowhere in this city, whether it be a quiet residential street – or even a sidewalk – is safe from rampaging vehicles driven by harried sociopaths.

  • “While Topping Avenue is a quiet residential street, the block where the accident occurred is adjacent to the Cross Bronx Expressway, and neighbors said cars often race up the street during rush hour as they take a shortcut through the neighborhood.”

    For heaven’s sake do some traffic calming, or better yet prevent the street from being used as a shortcut. Block it off on one end, or in the middle, like they are doing in civilized cities all over the world. Lower the speed limit so that it’s “possible” for AC to avoid crushing children at play in a residential street. Then fewer of those pesky “at fault” 4 year-olds will be killed or have their legs destroyed.
    It’s not much of a dilemma when you consider all the available options.

  • Driver

    Topping Avenue is perpendicular to the Cross Bronx, and the section of Expressway service road that crosses it does not run through on either end.  I don’t see how anyone would use this street as a shortcut or alternative to the Cross Bronx.  

  • AC

    if there is traffic then a lot of people who are crazy about saving 2 minutes of their life will get off the highway and try to go around using residential streets. on the belt parkway a lot of people do this on the rockaway beach exit. if traffic is really bad i’ll get off at pennsylvania ave and take that until the jackie robinson

    depending on the parking situation for me i might drive my kid to day care and will take the quiet residential streets instead of queens blvd. but here in queens, most parents are intelligent enough not to let their kids play in the street. there are playgrounds everywhere

    if NYC wants to lessen the use of cars by people get rid of the idiotic street cleaning in residential areas as well as the parking meters in residential areas.

  • Someone

    “Translation: Rather than expect drivers to exercise caution on a block lined with homes where small children live, families should keep their kids away from the damn street. ” You mean a  non busy street that is not Queens Boulevard, Fourth Avenue (in Brooklyn), or Broadway (in upper Manhattan)? You know, parents don’t have the power to stop their kids from running astray sometimes. Some (but not all) drivers are aggressive. They drive fast, especially in residential streets where there is little traffic. That is why there should be more people to enforce speed limits and more speed bumps and radar speed detectors.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Today’s Headlines

By Noah Kazis |
Four-Year-Old Ebrahim Kebe Killed by Bronx Minivan Driver While Playing by His Home (Post, DNA) Times Quotes One Motorist, Two Cabbies and a Chauffeur, Each Opposing Speed Cameras More Coverage of the Council Hearing on Outer Borough Transit (DNA, AMNY) Bronx Is Largest Reverse-Commute Market in U.S., and Growing (Transpo Nation) How the NYPD’s Obsession With […]

The Weekly Carnage

By Summer Greenstein |
The Weekly Carnage is a Friday round-up of motor vehicle violence across the five boroughs. For more on the origins and purpose of this column, please read About the Weekly Carnage. Fatal Crashes (4 Killed This Week; 174 This Year; 13 Drivers Charged*) Claremont: Walter Ayala, 36, Struck Riding His Bike; No Charges (Streetsblog) East New […]