A man died in Brooklyn early Monday after police said he stole a for-hire car, lost control and crashed it into a building.
NYPD officials said the crash happened around 1:45 a.m. near the intersection of Avenue J and Flatbush Avenue in Flatlands. Officers who responded to the scene found an overturned black Honda Civic and a 41-year-old man lying on the street with severe injuries.
Emergency medical workers took him to Kings County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to police. Officials did not immediately release his name as they worked to notify his family.
Detectives determined the man stole the car — a for-hire vehicle with a city Taxi and Limousine Commission license plate — from Regent Place and Flatbush Avenue, about a mile and a half from the crash site. Police said the car’s original driver had stepped out and left it running.
Video of the collision posted on social media shows the car speeding onto the sidewalk, where it ricocheted off the building before splitting into pieces. Debris from the vehicle and building was left on the sidewalk.
Police said officials from the city’s buildings department visited the building and deemed it safe after the crash.
This is a developing story based on preliminary information from police and may be updated.
