‘Fast and Furious’ Donut Spinouts Ongoing Problem
A police officer guards a vehicle along Gleason Avenue after a crash at a suspect “car meet” injured a driver and seven pedestrians on August 27. -Photo by David Greene
By David Greene
Bronx Voice
September 1, 2023
BRONX - The NYPD is still searching for the driver wanted in connection with a chain-reaction crash that sent another vehicle plowing into a crowd of spectators. One source claims the illegal car meets have been taking place every weekend for years.
Police say the crash was reported at 7:16 a.m. on August 27, at the intersection of Gleason Avenue and Commerce Avenue in the Unionport section of the borough.
One police spokesperson said of the early morning crash, “Police responded to a 911 call of a vehicle collision in the vicinity of Gleason Avenue and Commerce Avenue, in the confines of the 43 Precinct.”
The official continued, “A preliminary investigation determined a BMW was doing donuts in the street when it was struck from behind by a white Jeep Cherokee.” The official noted that seven “pedestrians” and the driver of the BMW suffered minor injuries.
The FDNY reported that five victims were transported to Jacobi Hospital and three additional patients were treated at the scene but declined further medical attention. All the injuries were believed to be non-life threatening.
A screenshot of a video posted in August, 2022 to YouTube shows a driver doing donuts as the passenger hangs out the window while apparently recording the stunt with his phone. -Photo courtesy of Dif2xerent
The NYPD added that the Jeep fled the scene after the collision and was later found “unoccupied” in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Hours after the crash the white BMW missing one rear wheel, was still in the middle of the intersection of Commerce Avenue and Gleason Avenue that was being guarded by a police officer. A second or third vehicle not reported by police was further up on Gleason Avenue, also being guarded by a police officer.
A manager at Citicare Ambulette Service on Gleason Avenue, who had a truck damaged in the crash, claimed it was a part of a “car club” meet up. The manager explained, “Come any Saturday night, you can video it yourself and we have to call the police every weekend.”
The manager continued, “No, no, the police come and disperse them, absolutely…. hundreds of cars and it’s not something that just started, it started before the pandemic.” He claimed the crowd lines the street for blocks as the drivers do their stunts that are recorded by members of the crowd on their phones.
The ambulance company manager claimed the group was originally chased out of the Home Depot parking lot on Bruckner Boulevard by officers from the 45th Precinct and the group he calls “Fast and Furious’ from the movie, has now moved to Commerce Avenue.
“The police are definitely doing their job,” the manager added, “There’s never been any violence over here, this was the first… but I knew something was going to happen eventually and it certainly did.”
The manager concluded, “It’s hysterical if you really watch it. It’s the funniest, stupidest thing you’ve ever seen, a bunch of idiots in the middle of the street with cars,” doing donuts or 360’s.
Several videos were found online, one showing the group outside of Home Depot and another apparently filmed on Commerce Avenue that showed one car doing donuts with the car’s passenger hanging out of the car window and apparently holding his phone in one hand.
The NYPD was later asked about the second car at the scene, if the car recovered in New Jersey was stolen and about the claims of a weekly, illegal car meet-up, the NYPD responded by saying that the initial information provided, “Is the information available.”
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