THE BRONX — A stunning video of a 17-year-old boy critically injured in an accident Friday shows the box truck that hit him zooming down the road and slamming into a parked car then spinning out as the victim skids down the pavement.
Efrain Rodriguez, 36, took methadone before he got behind the wheel of the U-Haul box truck and first struck a car on Southern and Northern boulevards, but continued driving about a mile north up on Southern until he reached Barretto Street, according to police and prosecutors.
Rodriguez, whose license was revoked and it had been suspended 16 times, was driving over 45 mph and had blown through a yellow light when he struck the 17-year-old boy who was crossing mid-block over Southern Boulevard at Barretto Street, according the Bronx District Attorney and witnesses.
"We ran outside. That's when we saw the body. He had blood coming out of his nose. His eyes were closed, but he was breathing," Yomaira Santiago, 31, who was managing a Family Dollar across from the crash, previously told DNAinfo New York.
Graphic amateur video shows a firefighter crouching over the motionless boy to take his pulse. He wore red pants and one of his high-top sneakers was lying next to his backpack nearby.
Rodriguez told police that he had just taken methadone at a treatment facility and was waiting for his friend when a man hit the window of the truck with a crowbar several times, court papers read.
"The guy took a crowbar, he hit the window two to three times and I drove fast to get away," Rodriguez told police, according to court papers.
"I made a couple of turns, I saw the kid. I tried to move out of the way, I hit him."
The victim was taken to Lincoln Medical Center and was still listed in critical condition on Monday, NYPD officials said.
Witnesses said that Rodriguez initially tried to leave the scene until people ran up to him and told him to stop.
"He tried to turn the ignition on. He tried to leave the scene, but we saw him and we told him, 'No, no, no man, you're staying right here. You're not going anywhere,'" Alex Rodriguez, 41, previously told DNAinfo New York.
He was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drug, reckless driving, aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle and assault at his Saturday arraignment, according to The Bronx District Attorney's office.
Rodriguez's bail was set a $500,000 and he's due back in court on March 18, the DA's office said. His lawyer could not be reached for comment.
He was also arrested in August and charged with criminal possession of a weapon, according to online court documents.
