A bozo in a truck hopped the curb on Fourth Avenue and toppled a tree — destroying a street light and blocking the sidewalk — before speeding off on April 3, said police.
The tumbling timber forced locals to navigate a mess of boughs and bark, said a superintendant for the apartment complex behind the downed wood.
“It’s crazy it’s blocking the whole sidewalk and made a big mess,” said Jesus Ayala. “I had just come from the store and the first thing I thought was, ‘Whoa, I got my work cut out for me today.’ ”
The trunk-ripping-trucker slammed into the tree at approximately 10 am en route to Shore Parkway and left the London Planetree sprawled along the sidewalk in a mangle of branches and roots, according to Ayala.
But this was not the first time drivers have struck the towering tree. The trunk was bent slightly into a lane of traffic and was often rammed into by careless truckers, according to Ayala. In a way, it’s a good thing that the leaning lumber was finally uprooted, he said.
“I’m kind of glad, because at least I have a chance to fix the street properly,” said Ayala. “It’s obviously not good, and I’m not happy it happened, but at least no one can hit that tree anymore.”
City workers with the Parks Department plan to cart away the tree’s remains early April 4. A police investigation is ongoing, an official said.
