County Police Release Official Report on Connors Accident

Rye Police Commissioner William Connors was not at fault when he hit a 14-year-old boy near Boston Post Road on Feb. 1, according to an official report released by Westchester County Police Thursday.

Kieran O'Leary, a spokesperson for Westchester County Police, said Connors had the green light and the right of way, and only hit the boy after he stepped into oncoming traffic.

According to the report, Connors was traveling southbound on Boston Post Road near Milton Road in an unmarked police car, when he slowed down after seeing two pedestrians on the sidewalk. 

Connors told County Police he later heard a noise after one of the pedestrians, 14-year-old Resurrection Middle School student Charles Little, stepped off the sidewalk and into the roadway.

Little's foot was run over by one of the car's tires and he was struck by the side of Connors' police car. 

Little, who was alert and speaking to his mother and EMS technicians after the accident, was later taken to Greenwich Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and released. Little later told police he thought the light was red on Boston Post Road, so he crossed the street.

The commissioner's car showed minor damage to the right sideview mirror, which was hanging off the side of the vehicle. Connors, who wasn't injured in the accident, also sought medical attention at the hospital and was released.

Connors' accident is the second this year involving a Rye student and a moving vehicle. On Jan. 7, Christofer Moreira, a fourth grader at Midland School, suffered minor injuries after being hit by an SUV on the intersection of Midland Avenue and Palisades Road. Authorities said speed was not a factor in that accident.

Moreira's accident occurred at the same intersection where 10-year-old Jarrid Amico was struck and killed in 2006 while riding his bike. 

Pedestrian safety issues have become a hot-button topic in Rye in recent months. On Tuesday, the Rye City Council and Board of Education held a special joint meeting to discuss pedestrian safety issues in the city.

At the meeting, local officials outlined safety projects at each of the city's public schools. The city will pour millions of dollars in funding into projects in the area. Midland Avenue is slated to get four speed indicators in March, as well as bump-outs, which will slow the speed of turning cars.

Other upcoming projects include sidewalk improvements near Osborn School, as well as traffic upgrades in the city's Central Business District, a few blocks away from the site of Connors' accident.