Joshua David Crouch, a 24-year-old aspiring musician who lived in Williamsburg, was killed in a hit-and-run on the West Side Highway around W. 12th St. on Mon. Sept. 18 sometime between 3:20 a.m. and 3:45 a.m. That much is known. But the driver who killed him and then sped away and left the scene is unknown.
Crouch’s family and friends want justice — and closure. Originally from North Carolina, Crouch aka “LEFTist” was a young man with many friends who had made a life for himself in New York City with dreams of making it big as a hip-hop artist. And he seemed to be on his way.
But those dreams were snuffed out when he was killed — apparently by a truck — near the Hudson River.
Crouch’s father, James, and friends have been retracing his steps the night of his death in hopes of turning up someone who may have witnessed, or may know about, what happened. They’re offering a $10,000 reward. So far, they’ve come up with nothing.
Perhaps a West St. resident recalls being awakened early Sept. 18 by the sound of screeching tires and seeing a truck or car speed off. Perhaps nearby buildings have security cameras that might have caught an image of the accident, or images of southbound trucks running red lights around the time of the accident. Maybe a biker or late-night dog walker on the bike path saw something.
Josh Crouch’s family and friends deserve closure and justice. Anyone who can help by providing any evidence in this case must, by all means, come forward now.
Chelsea now has a paper too
It’s not every day one starts a new community newspaper. So it goes without saying that we’re extremely proud about Chelsea Now — our new weekly just for Chelsea.
Our bright orange news boxes are out in Chelsea, and we’ll be distributed in stores and high-traffic locations.
Chelsea Now is the newest addition to Manhattan’s most successful, dynamic community newspaper chain, Community Media LLC. In addition to The Villager, we publish Downtown Express, covering Lower Manhattan; Gay City News, the nation’s foremost gay weekly; and Thrive-NYC, for those over 50.
Chelsea is bursting with stories: the art and gallery scene, the clubs, tenant and housing issues, booming residential construction, the development of the High Line Park and Hudson River Park. Each week, we’re going to be covering this beat with our mix of award-winning reporting and photography.
So if you ever find yourself venturing above 14th St. on the West Side, take a look in the orange boxes. Give us a read. If you like The Villager and our other publications, we know you’ll enjoy Chelsea Now — a new paper for one of Manhattan’s most exciting neighborhoods.
