Man killed after car goes out of control in East Harlem

NEW YORK -- A man was killed when he was struck by a vehicle as he was walking on the side of the road in East Harlem on Monday night.

Investigators were working to determine what caused the car to go out of control.

The remnants of the crash painted a crushing picture -- a white Mercedes slamming against a black SUV. A 51-year-old man was fatally pinned between the two vehicles. Detectives said another pedestrian, also 51, was hit but survived.

Investigators say the driver of the white Mercedes is in the hospital. So far, no charges have been filed.

Witnesses described what they heard and saw

Gloria Robinson said she heard the jolting sound just before 4 p.m. and ran out to the corner of East 105th Street and First Avenue.

"I was sitting in my living room and all of a sudden I heard a big bang. It was so hard," Gloria Robinson said. "All I see is people trying to get out, get him out, and they laid him down on the ground."

She said she saw a heart-wrenching sight as police say the Mercedes barreled through the intersection, smashed into a car, narrowly missing a woman, and then rear-ended a parked car.

As word got around, many living in the area, including Pat Wilson, realized she knew the victim.

"I ran over there and I said, 'Oh my God, that's family,'" Pat Wilson said. "He was a very good guy, a very good guy. Don't be in trouble. He was a very good guy."

"I just cried for him and I can't believe it's true," Robinson said.

The crash left shock and sadness over the tight-knit neighborhood.

"I've been living here for many years, 50 years, and I said, 'I hope it's not someone that i know. Please, God," Robinson said.