A car accident on the Belt Parkway early Sunday morning turned into a suspected road rage incident that left an off-duty firefighter dead on the roadway in Bay Ridge, police said.
Faizal Coto was found dead next to his 2008 Ford Mustang on the right shoulder of the Bay 8th Street and Shore Parkway exit.
Police said that upon their arrival, Coto was lying on the concrete with head trauma and his car was damaged. The other car that was possibly involved in the collision fled the scene before police arrived.
Coto, 33, was taken to Coney Island Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Authorities said Coto’s death may have resulted from a road rage incident following the crash, the Associated Press reported.
The city’s medical examiner determined that Coto died from blunt force trauma to the head and the manner of dead is ruled as a homicide. The police’s investigation is still ongoing.
Coto, a 3-year member of the FDNY, was assigned to an engine company in Coney Island. He was also a rapper, using the stage name FAIYA. He announced on his personal Facebook page on Dec. 5 that he was expecting to “slowly make a return” to music.
The suspect’s vehicle is described as a 2006 Infiniti G35, gray or silver in color, with damage to the driver’s side of the vehicle and bearing New York state license plate JEA 2402.
Anyone with information in regard to this incident is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the CrimeStoppers website at WWW.NYPDCRIMESTOPPERS.COM, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting their tips to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.
All calls are strictly confidential.
