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Bicyclist and pedestrian struck and killed by box truck driver on Upper East Side

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File photo by Todd Maisel

No charges have been filed against the box truck driver who fatally struck a bicyclist and a pedestrian on the Upper East Side on Christmas Eve.

Police said the deadly collision happened at about 9:20 a.m. on Dec. 24 at the corner of East 61st Street and 3rd Avenue.

According to information that police obtained, the 66-year-old male box truck driver began moving his vehicle suddenly just as a 32-year-old male passenger entered. 

Authorities said the box truck mounted the sidewalk and struck a fire hydrant before hitting Taurino Rosendo Morales, 37, of St. Nicholas Avenue in Harlem as he rode his bicycle through the intersection. The driver then struck Delfino Eduardo Maceda, 46, of 42nd Avenue in Corona as he stood on the sidewalk.

Law enforcement sources noted that the driver stopped his truck after striking the two people.

Officers from the 19th Precinct and EMS responded to the scene. Both Maceda and Morales were rushed to Weill Cornell Medical Center, where they died a short time later.

The 32-year-old box truck passenger suffered minor injuries and was also treated at Weill Cornell, cops said.

The case has been presented to the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad for further examination.