A driver was charged with DUI and other offenses after police say he struck and killed a 3-year-old boy who was walking with his mother in Philadelphia’s Brewerytown neighborhood late Monday morning.
Investigators said Timothy Robinson, 62, was driving a 2020 black Nissan Rogue SUV along the 3000 block of West Girard Avenue shortly before 11 a.m.
Robinson then struck the back of another car multiple times before he past the vehicle, according to investigators. His SUV then jumped the curb at the intersection of 30th Street and Girard Avenue and went airborne.
The SUV then struck a building along the 3000 block of West Girard Avenue, bounced off of it, rotated and landed on its roof, striking a 27-year-old woman and her 3-year-old son.
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Diameer Bryant told NBC10 she felt her building shake as the crash occurred.
“And then we hear a woman from the street shouting, ‘My baby! Someone get my baby!’ So we ran down the stairs and noticed that there’s a child pinned underneath the vehicle,” Bryant said.
The woman managed to free herself. Bryant, Deza Rullan and other nearby residents helped the woman lift and turn the SUV back upright to free the boy.
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“Everybody was just panicking and I started shaking and crying because I was unsure what happened," Rullan said.
Responding police officers then took the boy and his mother to Temple University Hospital. The boy, identified by police as John Johnson, was pronounced dead. His mother is in stable condition.
Robinson was taken to Lankenau Hospital in stable condition. He was later arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter, homicide by vehicle, homicide by vehicle while DUI, reckless endangerment of another person and reckless driving.
“My heart is broken for this child, and for the family that now grieves such a terrible loss. Intoxicated driving is never okay, and this tragedy is why,” Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said. “My office will work to hold Mr. Robinson accountable, but I also want to re-commit to working with our public safety partners in the city to confront traffic violence for the public safety threat that it is."
Residents created a small memorial for the child at the scene of the crash.
Rullan is hoping something will be done to make the stretch on Girard Avenue where the crash occurred a safer road.
“Now a 3-year-old had to die to hopefully get a stop sign," he said. "Get a speed bump. Get something done to prevent this from happening again.”
Krasner said traffic enforcement officers could help keep drivers and pedestrians safe.
“Safe sidewalks and streets for all should be considered baseline amenities in all Philadelphia communities,” Krasner said. “In particular, creation of a civilian force of public safety officers -- approved by voters in 2019 -- has the potential to significantly improve enforcement of laws and regulations that will enhance quality of life for communities throughout the city.”
