8-Month-Old Dies After Being Struck By Van in Jackson Heights: Officials

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — An 8-month-old baby has died after a van backed into the child's stroller near Astoria Boulevard and 93rd Street on Friday morning.

The 44-year-old driver, Armando Morales-Rodriguez of Queens, has been charged for being unlicensed. A police spokesman said he was unsure if the man was driving without a license at all or just without a license to operate the particular vehicle.

More charges could be pending, an NYPD spokesperson said.

Paramedics transported the 8-month-old boy to Elmhurst Hospital in extremely critical condition at 10:15 a.m., according to police and fire officials. The baby was pronounced dead at the hospital, officials said.

An FDNY spokesperson said the child was transported in "life-threatening condition."

The driver, whose name has not been released, stayed on the scene of the accident, according to police. The 35-year-old mother pushing the stroller was uninjured.

The family lived just six blocks away from the accident on 87th Street, according to police.

Photo Credit: Astoria Blvd. at 93rd Street via Google Maps Street View