Woman Killed in Hit-and-Run in the West Village

Driver fled the scene after striking 22-year-old in a Manhattan crosswalk

NEW YORK — A young woman was killed in the West Village early Sunday morning when a driver struck her and fled the scene in a hit-and-run.

The incident took place at the intersection of West Washington Place and 6th Avenue just before 5 a.m. A 22-year-old pedestrian was walking westbound in the south crosswalk when she was struck by an unidentified gray vehicle. The force of the collision left her with a severe head injury.

A witness rushed to the victim's side. "All of a sudden, we saw a group of people screaming, and I saw the girl laying on the floor right here. So I immediately ran over and checked her pulse. She had a pulse, and shortly thereafter, the police came and then the ambulance," witness Corey Schwartz said. "She was scratched up, almost like she had gotten dragged."

A witness dialed 911 and EMS rushed her to Bellevue Hospital, but she could not be saved and was pronounced dead. The victim has been identified as Destiny Murrell, of Brooklyn.

The NYPD says the driver fled northbound on Sixth Avenue, then turned onto Waverly Place. No arrests have been made.

The NYPD Highway Patrol is investigating the crash. Anyone with information is urged to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or, for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).