Bay Ridge woman dies after being pinned under car in parking garage

January 28, 2019 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle

First Responders arriving at 115 96th St. after woman was trapped beneath her SUV. Eagle photos by John Alexander

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Alba Mazza, an 88-year-old Italian-American musician, died on Saturday after being pinned beneath her SUV in the parking garage of her apartment at 115 96th St. in Bay Ridge.

Bay Ridge resident Natalie Hale was walking her dog down 96th Street between Shore Road and Marine Avenue at approximately 5:45 p.m. when she witnessed the accident.

“I was just walking my dog when I saw the car with its driver door wide open and the engine was running,” Hale told the Brooklyn Eagle. “It was parked and then slowly started moving into the garage. It just kept driving and I got scared that it was going to explode or something.”

Hale called 911 and described what she had seen. “I told them that there was nobody in the car, and I heard loud classical music playing from inside the car.”

At first Hale was scared to move closer, but ultimately watched the vehicle begin to go down the driveway.

“People were just walking by, and nobody did anything,” Hale continued. “And then it goes through the garage door and keeps going. I just didn’t know what was happening. I didn’t see the woman at first, and I thought should I go and try to stop the car, maybe put the brake on the car — but I didn’t know what to do.”

After the car stopped, Hale noticed a foot sticking out from underneath vehicle.

By 6 p.m., 96th Street was completely closed off between Shore Road and Marine Avenue. Police officers and firefighters were able to extricate Mazza from underneath the vehicle. Already in cardiac arrest, she was taken to NYU Langone-Brooklyn (Lutheran) Hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

An NYPD spokesperson confirmed that Mazza had driven her 2018 Hyundai Kona SUV up to the parking garage, left the vehicle to unlock the garage door and was then run over by the vehicle.

While the incident appears to be accidental, the spokesperson added that the incident is still under investigation.

Mazza is remembered as a renowned musician whose passion was performing and preserving Italian music.