Streetfilms: Jackson Heights Remembers Giovanni Ampuero and Calls for a Safer Northern Boulevard

Drivers have killed five children on a one-mile stretch of Northern Boulevard in six years.

Raul Ampuero lays flowers at the memorial for his son Giovanni. Photo: Clarence Eckerson
Raul Ampuero lays flowers at the memorial for his son Giovanni. Photo: Clarence Eckerson

There are too many funerals for children killed by drivers on Northern Boulevard.

This weekend, Jackson Heights residents gathered to remember 9-year-old Giovanni Ampuero, who was struck by a hit-and-run driver at Northern and 70th Street the previous Saturday. He was the fifth child killed by a motorist on the same one-mile segment of Northern Boulevard in six years, according to Make Queens Safer.

On Saturday, Ampuero’s family and neighbors marched to the site of the crash. They called on the city and state to rein in dangerous drivers and protect children walking on NYC streets.

“I came because I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of having to come to events like this,” said Council Member Danny Dromm. “For me, this is an issue of car violence.”

Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson, himself a Jackson Heights parent, put together this short video of the memorial, where Giovianni’s friends, family, and neighbors pled for action:

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