Manhattan driver who killed pedestrian had been drinking all day: prosecutors

A driver who killed a 23-year-old pedestrian and injured four others in a blistering Gramercy Park crash drank all day before getting behind the wheel with a blood alcohol level nearly twice the legal limit, prosecutors said Tuesday.

Mahbub Ali was ordered held on $300,000 bail for the wild Sunday evening crash that sent pedestrians scrambling for cover and left victims scattered along the roadway.

Ali, 26, admitted he started drinking at brunch around noon Sunday — and never stopped, Assistant District Attorney Taylor Maurer said during Ali’s arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

After brunch, the Queens resident went to another location and kept on drinking, the prosecutor said.

Two hours after the 7:30 p.m. crash on Third Ave. near E. 21st St., Ali’s blood alcohol level was still .158.

“(He) admitted to going out drinking all day and to driving after,” Maurer said. “Because of (his) decision to drink and drive, there are now four individuals who suffered physical injury, two of whom needed surgery, and one 23-year-old man who is dead.”

Abdulhekim Esiyok, 23, was crossing Third Ave. near E. 21st St. when Ali slammed into him.

“I held his hand and he was gone,” said freelance journalist George Colli, who heard the crash and raced to the scene, finding the victim curled in a fetal position next to a crumpled metal trash can. “Me and another woman prayed over him. It gave me some kind of comfort.”

Colli recognized Esiyok from a local church group where he’s a volunteer. The Turkish immigrant was staying at a shelter near where he was struck, Colli said.

“He was a very hard worker,” said Colli. “He came here to work and send money to his family back home.”

Four others were hurt in the crash. Debris including broken bits of a bicycle was found scattered over half a block.

Zipping uptown on Third Ave., Ali’s Hyundai Sonata struck Esiyok in the marked crosswalk at E. 21st St., then swerved right and hit an 18-year-old man turning onto the avenue on his e-bike, police said.

Ali then mounted the sidewalk, his car’s right tires hitting two more pedestrians, a 21-year-old man and a 26-year-old woman, before slamming into a parked unoccupied NYPD van.

“I was just crossing the street when I heard a bang,” a nearby resident who identified himself as Robert told the Daily News Monday. “There was a scary sound, a lot of commotion, a lot of screaming. You knew right away something was wrong.”

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“You saw people on the ground triage kind of instantly and pieces of car mixed with bike strewn all over the ground,” he added.

Ali was caught on surveillance camera striking the NYPD vehicle, a garbage can and a light pole, according to court papers. A 25-year-old woman in the passenger seat of Ali’s car suffered a leg injury.

Esiyok was “thrown in the air for a significant distance” when Ali rammed into him, Maurer said.

Medics rushed all the victims to Bellevue Medical Center, where Esiyok died.

More than $6,000 has been raised on a GoFundMe post for Esiyok’s family.

Ali was standing outside his mangled car when he was taken into custody, cops said. It was his first arrest.

A call to Ali’s attorney was not immediately returned Tuesday.