New Square man charged with assault after boy struck by car
BY JANE LERNER • LoHud.comNEW SQUARE — A 35-year-old man, who police said drove a car that struck and critically injured a 4-year-old boy as he crossed the street with his mother last week, was charged Wednesday with assault and reckless endangerment.
Reuven Bayer of New Square turned himself in to Ramapo police and was arraigned in Ramapo Town Court. He posted $25,000 cash bail shortly after the hearing, Ramapo police said.
Bayer is facing a felony assault charge, misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and reckless driving and numerous traffic violations, Ramapo police Lt. Mark Emma said.
"His actions were clearly reckless," Emma said.
Bayer told investigators that he was in a hurry because he had just gotten a telephone call at his home that his mother was ill and had been admitted to Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. He was headed to New York City to visit his mother when the crash took place.
Police said Bayer was headed west on Washington Avenue in a 2004 Chevrolet minivan at 5:10 p.m. Jan. 28. Bayer crossed over the center line, passed two vehicles stopped at a stop sign at the Bush Lane intersection, failed to stop and struck the boy, who was crossing the street with his mother, who was pushing a baby carriage.
Investigators determined that Bayer was not talking on his cell phone at the time of the crash. He called Hatzolah Ambulance Corps to assist the child. The boy was removed from the scene before police arrived, Emma said.
The child was taken to Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla, where he is being treated for head trauma, bleeding to the brain, a fractured pelvis and bruising to the lung. He is in critical but stable condition.
Bayer has been cooperating with police, Emma said.
He was also charged with passing a stop sign, unsafe passing, failure to yield to a pedestrian, failure to maintain lane, passing a vehicle stopped to yield to a pedestrian, failure to exercise caution and failure to keep right, all violations. He is scheduled to appear in Ramapo Town Court at 2 p.m. Monday.
[Hat Tip: CS.]