A trash hauler turned over a dozen cars into junk yard waste on a Morris Park street early Saturday morning, March 23.
Cops are looking for the drivers of possibly two different privately-owned sanitation truck that were traveling on Hone Avenue when one of the trucks rammed 15 parked vehicles, according to the NYPD, knocking some of them up on the sidewalk.
The incident occurred around 12:34 a.m. beginning in front of 1811 Hone Avenue and continuing along most of the length of the block between Morris Park and Rhinelander avenues.
Area homes with video surveillance captured the incident, which helped the police identify one driver, Manuel Matias, who first walked calmly from his 2005 vehicle, but then took off, according to video footage supplied by neighbors.
As of press time, Matias in still on the lamb in the reckless driving incident.
Matias drives for Hunts Point-based Falso Carting Company, according to records, but the police are unsure if he is responsible for damaging the cars or a second truck owned by Paper Services Inc. is the culprit.
Both private haulers were seen operating in the area at the time the accident occurred that evening.
According to an individual with knowledge of the incident, the PSI truck was been driving erratically minutes before the Hone Avenue incident. He mentioned the truck knocked down a business awning a short time earlier.
As of press time, the investigation remains ongoing, said an NYPD spokesman.
The Morris Park Community Association’s president, Al D’Angleo, said that he heard rumors that the crash may have been related to a dispute between two rival sanitation companies, something that was mentioned in some published reports.
D’Angelo said that his primary concern was safety in the community.
“To have people (driving garbage trucks) running rampant up and down the neighborhood is a problem,” said D’Angleo. “What if someone was out there and got hit by the truck?”
D’Angelo categorized the incident as ‘a disaster’ that caused a large amount of property damage.
He said that the misguided truck knocked over a tree and left car glass all over the roadway.
Michael Kaess, who lives on the block, said he and his wife were awake and heard a grinding noise as the truck started to slam into the parked vehicles.
At first, he said he dismissed the noise because he said it did not sound like an auto accident, but when he looked out his window after a significant amount of time had elapsed, he saw a scene of carnage.
“[All my neighbors were] out in the street,” said Kaess. “There was a feeling of dumbfoundedness about what had just happened.”
He added: “People are really attached to their cars.”
Kaess said that based on his understanding, between six to eight were totaled. Others had minor damage.
As police and fire department personnel arrived on the scene, Kaess said that he checked his home’s security cameras and found that he had footage of a truck first striking the parked cars, followed by the driver exiting the vehicle.
Calls to Falso Carting Company and Paper Services Inc were not returned before press time.
