Motorist strikes, injures jogger in Prospect Park hit-and-run

A driver seriously injured a 51-year-old woman jogging in Prospect Park in a hit-and-run collision before sunrise Thursday morning.

The motorist behind the wheel of a black car illegally cruising the park’s West Drive — which Mayor DeBlasio permanently banned all traffic from in 2015 — hit the victim on the road near Park Circle at 5 am before speeding off, cops said.

Another runner came to the woman’s aid, and paramedics rushed her to Maimonides Medical Center to get treated for multiple fractures to her pelvis, leg, and ribs, according to police, who described the victim’s condition as critical, but stable.

The aftermath: Blood drenched the pavement and a bandage left behind at the site of the collision, which inflicted serious injuries on the victim, cops said.

Photo by Paul Martinka

The mayor announced earlier this year that Brooklyn’s Backyard will be entirely car-free starting Jan. 2, when vehicles will be permanently prohibited from the Downtown-bound East Drive — which motorists can currently cruise from 7 to 9 am on weekdays.

Authorities’ search for the hit-and-run driver is ongoing, police said.

Broke the law: The driver was illegally cruising Prospect Park’s West Drive — which the mayor closed to all traffic in 2015 — when the woman was hit.

Photo by Paul Martinka