Italian couple on honeymoon among seven pedestrians struck by hit-and-run driver in Manhattan
A honeymoon tour of the U.S. ended in tragedy for an Italian couple who were among seven people struck by an emotionally disturbed driver as she blew a red light in Midtown Manhattan before speeding off to Queens — where she got in another crash before police cuffed her — cops said Monday.
Paramedics rushed the spouses — identified as Giulia Gardani, a 34-year-old tennis instructor from Piacenza, and husband Matteo Maj, a 51-year-old graphic designer, by Italian-language publication La Voce di New York — to Bellevue Hospital.
Joining the Italian couple at Bellevue was another victim, a 28-year-old man who suffered a head injury and two broken legs in the crash.
The hit-and-run driver, who lives in New Jersey and appears to have been in the throes of a mental health crisis, is expected to be charged with numerous offenses, police said.
“I just prayed to God,” a police official quotes her as telling cops after her arrest. “And I closed my eyes when I went through there.”
The chaos began when the 29-year-old motorist drove her Honda Accord through the red light at Sixth Ave. and W. 36th St. just north of Macy’s Herald Square around 11:55 p.m. Sunday, cops said.
The pedestrians, ages 24 to 61, were crossing Sixth Ave. with the walk light on when they were struck, with the driver continuing east and fleeing through the Midtown Tunnel, police said.
By then, police had a description of her car and the license plate.
Once in Queens, she continued east on the Long Island Expressway and struck two vehicles near the Horace Harding Expressway and 188th St., about 11 miles from the scene in Midtown.
Police saw that her plate matched the one on the Accord involved in the Manhattan crash and took her into custody. She tested negative for alcohol.
Gardani and Maj were in New York City on the last leg of their U.S. trip, which included stops in Chicago and Boston, according to La Voce de New York, which cited Maj’s sister.
Maj underwent surgery for facial trauma following the crash and was expected to endure a second round of surgery for injuries to the tibia and fibula, according to the Italian-language publication.
Gardani had a five-hour surgery for a cervical vertebrae injury, La Voce di New York reported.
The couple had reportedly planned to return to their home country Monday.
One pedestrian struck in Manhattan refused medical attention and another was treated at the scene. Four victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, and one was taken to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.
The victims struck in Queens declined medical attention.
