Victim’s family demands update on hit-and-run probe
Relatives of the 10-year-old Bronx boy injured in a hit-and-run on Dec. 12 say they're frustrated with the investigation. The child, Waseem Alnajjar, was on his way to school when a driver slammed
News 12 Staff
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Dec 29, 2016, 8:00 AM
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Updated 2,685 days ago
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Relatives of the 10-year-old Bronx boy injured in a hit-and-run on Dec. 12 say they're frustrated with the investigation.
The child, Waseem Alnajjar, was on his way to school when a driver slammed into him near his family's deli at Hunts Point and Lafayette avenues.
Witness accounts of the incident vary. Some say they saw a school bus hit the boy. Initial police reports blamed the driver of a dark-colored vehicle.
"For a human being to hit a little kid and walk off like that, that's not right," says Hadi Alnajjar, the victim's uncle. "He's not an animal for them to step on him and walk like that."
Alnajjar and the victim's older brother, Samy Alnajjar, say they have had no update from police in more than two weeks, even though there are many surveillance cameras in the area.
Police say they are still investigating.
Waseem remains hospitalized, and although he awoke from a medically induced coma, he still can't walk and has multiple broken bones.
He spoke with News 12 from his hospital bed over FaceTime, sharing a message for the driver who struck him.
"Why did you do this to me, and why didn't you stop and try to help me?" Waseem asked. " And come forward. My life has changed."
Waseem, who says he is getting better each day, is unable to perform some of his favorite tasks, like playing trumpet.
