In a tragic incident that unfolded in April, NYPD officers from the 50 Precinct are facing scrutiny after a vehicle they pursued crashed and subsequently burst into flames, leading to the death of 31-year-old Francisco Guzman Parra.
The pursuit began under the pretense that Guzman Parra was driving a stolen SUV and stretched from The Bronx to Upper Manhattan via the Henry Hudson Parkway.
Video footage obtained by THE CITY places a spotlight on the actions of the officers, revealing their decision to drive past the burning vehicle where Guzman Parra was still trapped inside.
This shocking revelation prompted the department to suspend the officers involved, who are now under investigation to determine whether they failed to report the deadly crash.
Guzman Parra’s sister, Shakira Guzman, expressed her devastation after viewing the security footage, labeling the officers’ inaction as neglect.
“It was devastating, in a way even torturing, to see how quick this accident happened, how no help was offered, and then how long he burned for,” she said.
The security footage appears to come from a camera positioned at the top of an exit ramp leading from the Henry Hudson Parkway to Dyckman Street.
The video captures the moment the vehicle sped down the ramp, crashing into a city parks department-owned building while flames flickered from the crash scene.
Ten seconds later, a police SUV can be seen speeding down the same ramp, briefly stopping at the intersection before turning left and leaving the frame.
Jeremy Feigenbaum, an attorney representing Guzman Parra’s family, criticized the officers’ decision, arguing it reflected a grave disregard for human life.
“In that one moment where they effectively weighed their careers to be more important than Francisco’s life, they played the role of judge, jury, and executioner,” Feigenbaum stated.
He emphasized that had the officers acted, there might have been a chance for Guzman Parra to escape the flames.
Despite the severity of the situation, the family’s account indicates that it took nearly 20 minutes for firefighters and police to respond to the crash, following a 911 call that came in just before 5 a.m.
Patrick Hendry, president of the city’s Police Benevolent Association, asserted that the officers were unable to see the wrecked vehicle as they exited the parkway.
A spokesperson for the union confirmed that this statement remains valid, while the NYPD’s response team has not yet provided a comment regarding the footage.
The Guzman family is now urging the department to take decisive action against the officers involved, including their termination, and they believe that criminal charges should also be pursued.
An ongoing review by the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division is currently underway, while the office of the State Attorney General has preliminarily assessed that the officers did not directly cause Guzman Parra’s death, which removes it from their investigative scope.
However, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office is still examining whether other charges against the officers may be warranted, according to a spokesperson.
As it stands, Guzman Parra’s family has been informed that the officers are still suspended from the force but are receiving their salaries during this period.
This heartbreaking incident follows a directive issued by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch in January, aimed at regulating police pursuits after a significant spike in such incidents which resulted in numerous fatalities over the past couple of years.
Under Tisch’s directive, officers are now restricted to pursuing only those suspected of felonies and violent misdemeanors, contrasting with previous policies that allowed pursuits for minor traffic violations.
The change comes after city records indicate at least 17 deaths and over 600 injuries were linked to car chases led by the NYPD during a prior two-year span.
Amid the plight of the Guzman family, the memory of Francisco Guzman Parra remains alive through the loving recollections of those who knew him.
Guzman’s family referred to him by his second name, Andres, and friends affectionately called him “Niño,” which translates to “kid” in Spanish.
Shakira Guzman shared, “He was like a kid. He joked around a lot, he was always happy, always there to help. So we remember him as someone who was loving.”
image source from：https://www.thecity.nyc/2025/06/05/nypd-police-deadly-crash-pursuit/
