Khurram Saeed

ksaeed@lohud.com

CHESTNUT RIDGE – A toddler struck by a minivan Friday afternoon has died.

Ramapo police said 18-month-old Judy Danzinger died about 10 a.m. Saturday at Westchester Medical Center in Valhalla.

Ramapo police Sgt. Michael Higgins said the girl suffered a severe head injury after she was struck by a 2002 Toyota Sienna on Beckett Court in Chestnut Ridge about 1:30 p.m. Friday. The driver, a 19-year-old girl from the Monsey area, had backed into the girl, who was in the roadway.

The accident occurred in front of 33 Beckett Court, where the street becomes a cul-de-sac. The victim's family lives across the street in the largely Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.

Neighbors on Saturday afternoon said the minivan was traveling slowly, perhaps less than 5 mph, as the driver was attempting to turn around. There were approximately 10 children playing along the street as several adults watched from nearby, including Danzinger's mother.

One neighbor said the little girl leaned back against the minivan's rear bumper when it stopped, but fell and hit her head when the vehicle pulled away.

Unaware the little girl was behind her, he said the driver started to back up to navigate the cul-de-sac but he and several others started banging on the minivan's windows telling the driver to stop. She did before there was impact.

Higgins said the police have not completed their investigation.

The victim's family was not at home on Saturday but a stroller and bicycle lay in their front yard. They have lived there for six years, a neighbor said.

The driver will not be charged, said Higgins, who did not release her name. He said the driver did not know the victim.

The toddler's family called Hatzolah ambulance service before police arrived at the scene.

Investigators conducted interviews on the scene on Friday in advance of the Jewish Sabbath, Higgins said.

A young child was killed in July in Spring Valley in a similar incident. The 20-month-old boy was crushed by a truck in the Lottie Gardens parking lot.

Twitter: @ksaeed1