Homeless man held on $20,000 bail after allegedly hitting pedestrian by Public Garden

By [email protected]_84 9 months ago

A 58-year-old homeless man was held on $20,000 cash bail on Friday, a day after

A 58-year-old homeless man was held on $20,000 cash bail on Friday, a day after police said he walked away after the pickup truck he stole hit a pedestrian by the Boston Public Garden, leaving her with life-threatening injuries.

Keith Andrade, whose address is listed as homeless, was arraigned Friday in Boston Municipal Court on charges including larceny of a motor vehicle, leaving the scene of a personal-injury accident, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The victim, whose name was not released, was hit after police said Andrade crashed the stolen pickup truck into the gates of the public garden. She is listed in critical condition, Boston police said.

Andrade’s $1,000 bail in a separate case was revoked. He has two active warrants out of Boston District Court for larceny from a person, police said.

Police said they arrested Andrade once they spotted him Thursday night, hours after the 4:22 p.m. crash in the area of Washington and School streets.

Police said the call first came in of a person struck at the corner of Boylston and Charles streets. Authorities were making “full notifications” soon after, which is done when someone either has died or might die.

Witness Antonio Avanti was waiting for the light on Boylston when he heard the crash and then saw smoke. He told the Herald he jumped out of his car and saw what appeared to be a young woman lying on the ground with people tending to her.

“She had an angel — there was somebody with blue scrubs who was helping her,” Avanti said.

The vehicle — a black Chevrolet Colorado, he said — had jumped the curb and smashed into the iron fencing and stone pillars that form an entrance to the Public Garden at the corner of the two streets, the Boston resident said.

The Chevy pickup truck remained there, propped up on a small pile of debris.

Brendan Kearney of the WalkBoston advocacy group said he counts five fatal crashes in Boston this year, including the one earlier this week in Andrew Square.

He said the city should use its current Boston Common master planning project to take a hard look at the wide streets surrounding the pedestrian-heavy parks downtown that “really just invite speeding.”

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