This article was updated on June 20 at 11:51 p.m. to include additional information from the Mamaroneck Police Department.
A young boy and his mother were fatally struck by a vehicle while walking to school in Mamaroneck on Thursday morning, police said.
The boy, a six-year-old kindergarten student at the public Mamaroneck Avenue Elementary School, and his mother, 43, were hit by a mini-school bus around 8:30 a.m., as the pair were attempting to cross Mamaroneck Avenue near New Street, according to village of Mamaroneck police.
Police received multiple 911 calls and upon arrival observed both the boy and his mother lying in the street. The boy was pronounced dead at the scene.
The mother, who was transported to an area hospital, died from her injuries Thursday afternoon, according to police.
The crash occurred across from the shopping center that includes CVS and North Shore Farms, and roughly half a block from the school where a Royal Coach Lines mini-bus was stopped, The Journal News reported.
The school district, which serves both the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities, notified parents by email Thursday morning.
“There is nothing more difficult for a community to experience than the loss of life, and we know that everyone in the Mamaroneck and Larchmont communities is heartbroken by this news,” the district wrote in an email.
“It is with a heavy heart that we now share that the child’s mother has also passed away as a result of her injuries,” the school district wrote in a second email later that day.
Police have yet to release the identities of the victims, or the bus driver. But police said there are currently no charges pending against the driver, a 68-year-old male from Mount Vernon.
An initial investigation revealed that the school bus was traveling eastbound from New Street before turning left onto Mamaroneck Avenue through a green light. While the bus, which had several students and an aide on board, was turning, several parents and children were crossing the street with the walk sign just prior to the crash.
According to police, none of the passengers on the bus sustained any injuries.
Police said the bus driver is cooperating with the investigation. The Westchester County Accident Investigation team assisted in the investigation.
“It appears at this time that this incident was a tragic accident,” said Police Chief Sandra DiRuzza.
The elementary school remained open Thursday after administration officials “pretty quickly” assessed the situation, a school district spokesperson told The Record. Psychologists and social workers at the school were on-site and deployed to be there to support staff throughout the day and would continue to be available for students beginning Friday morning, the spokesperson added.
The Mamaroneck Avenue School’s last full day of classes is Friday.
Police closed off the area shortly after 8:30 a.m., leading to traffic delays for much of the morning, as investigators probed the crash site and devastated onlookers gathered along Mamaroneck Avenue.
This isn’t the first time pedestrian safety along the Mamaroneck Avenue corridor, which also serves as an on/off ramp to Interstate-95, has been an issue – it’s been a talking point in the community for years.
A 2019 walking safety assessment of the Mamaroneck Avenue School area found dangerous conditions for pedestrians trying to safely cross, with vehicles regularly exceeding the 20 mph school zone speed limit, running red lights, and making illegal U-turns.
The study, conducted by the village, also identified inconsistent pedestrian crossing signals, broken and irregular sidewalks, and few marked crosswalks across streets perpendicular to Mamaroneck Avenue.
A press briefing is scheduled for Friday at 2:30 p.m. in front of the Mamaroneck Police Department, located at 169 Mt. Pleasant Ave.
The Mamaroneck police could not be reached for additional comment.