NEW YORK (PIX11) – The man accused of hitting and seriously injuring a 70-year-old crossing guard wept during a courthouse hearing on Long Island, according to sources. Saying as he was placed into a police vehicle: “It was an accident. I slid on the ice…. It was an accident.”
Joshua Alvarado, 30, of Queens, faces multiple felony charges, court records show.
Crossing guard injured after being struck on LI, police say
Alvarado was distraught before a judge who set his bail at $500,000, crying, “I will come back to court,” through tears.
Police say that Alvarado is accused of hitting a crossing guard with a pickup truck on Thursday morning.
The victim was transported to a nearby hospital and treated for multiple broken ribs, a collapsed lung, brain bleeding, and had skull fragments removed, according to court documents.
According to an investigation, Alvarado was on his way to work as an exterminator at a call at the Wantagh Inn when he passed out at a red light. The light turned green, but he didn’t move. After honking from other cars, he woke up, then drove diagonally through the intersection, mounted the curb, and struck a crossing guard who had just helped a child cross Sunrise Highway.
Police also say that Alvarado then fell asleep after the crash. He also admitted to drug use the night before the incident, according to court documents.
This story comprises reporting from PIX11 News reporters Nicole Alarcon, Greg Mocker, and Photojournalist Keith Lopez.
Matthew Euzarraga is a multimedia journalist from El Paso, Texas. He has covered local news and LGBTQIA topics in the New York City Metro area since 2021. He joined the PIX11 Digital team in 2023. You can see more of his work here.
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