A bill to create hit-and-run notifications, similar to the Amber Alert system, was overwhelmingly approved by the City Council on Thursday.
The legislation, introduced by Councilman Ydanis Rodriguez, who chairs the council’s transportation committee, aims to help catch drivers involved in hit-and-runs that cause death or serious injury.
The bill, passed in a 47-0 vote, calls for the creation of a system to send alerts about vehicles involved in hit-and-runs within 12 hours after it is determined that they caused death or serious injury.
The bill was named after Jean Paul Guerrero, a Spanish-language radio DJ known as Jinx Paul, who was killed in 2016 by a hit-and-run driver.
“Hit-and-run drivers usually flee the scene of a crash because they think they can get away with their crime,” Rodriguez said after introducing the legislation.
The council’s approval of the bill came two days after a man was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver near Union Square Park, according to police.
Mayor Bill de Blasio will need to sign the bill into law before it can go into effect.
With Vincent Barone
