'We are heartbroken.' Community mourns Bronx youth football killed in Baychester crash
Surveillance video showed a tow truck run a red light and crash into another vehicle that barreled into parked cars and Downer.
Vigils are planned this week for beloved football coach Dwight Downer.
Downer was a youth football and high school coach in the Bronx.
The 60-year-old had just parked his car and was walking to his house on Givan Avenue and Eastchester Road when he was hit by another vehicle just after midnight on Saturday.
Surveillance video showed a tow truck run a red light and crash into another vehicle that barreled into parked cars and Downer.
Downer was a youth football coach for the Bronx Buccaneers and coached at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx.
“We are heartbroken for the DeWitt Clinton school community as they mourn this tragic loss. Mental health supports are available at every school for any student who needs them, and we are working with school leadership to ensure they have the resources they need as the community grieves," The Department of Education wrote in a statement to News 12.
Downer's family says he has been an advocate to improve road safety at the intersection for years. In 2017, he was interviewed by News 12 after a car crashed into his front yard.
Vision Zero data shows there have been at least two accidents with reported injuries at the intersection this year, including a pedestrian and a vehicle.
Downer leaves behind two children.
