NEW YORK — A confrontation between drivers on a Manhattan street, which appeared to start as a routine fender-bender, turned deadly after one driver allegedly responded to a flat tire by knocking over the other man.
Police say the fatal altercation began when drivers of a Jetta sedan with Virginia license plates and a Chevy Silverado collided in East 60th Street between Park Avenue and Lexington Ave. in it Upper East Side.
Things quickly escalated when a heated argument broke out between the two male drivers, prompting the man behind the wheel of the van, later identified as 54-year-old Roberto Vélez Álvarez, to get out and pull out a knife. He used the knife to cut two of the Jetta’s tires, police said.
The second driver, 28-year-old Andre Mosby, allegedly responded by hitting the accelerator and running over Alvarez, pinning him against the wall of a building. Video from the scene shows the frantic moments as first responders carried Álvarez to an ambulance. He was rushed to a hospital, but did not survive his injuries.
Broken glass was seen scattered throughout the wrecked sedan after the incident. Mosby, who officials say was traveling with his wife and his two children in the car, stayed behind and was taken into custody by police. He was arrested and charged with manslaughter and assault.
Authorities said the three passengers inside his car at the time were taken to a hospital for evaluation.
