New York Attorney General Letitia James released bodycam footage on Thursday showing the events of a fatal May 28, 2023, police pursuit that ended in the death of 36-year-old Samuel Williams, a Bronx father. The footage, part of an ongoing investigation by the Office of Special Investigation, captured the moment Williams collided with an unmarked NYPD vehicle on the University Heights Bridge.
Officers had reportedly attempted to stop Williams for allegedly operating a dirt bike illegally on the bridge, which connects Manhattan to the Bronx. The video revealed two unmarked police vehicles swerving into oncoming traffic in front of Williams. He narrowly avoided one car before crashing head-on into a second vehicle, sending him flying over the handlebars of his dirt bike.
Subsequent footage showed officers rushing to Williams, who landed on the hood of a third unmarked police car. Another camera angle revealed Williams’ dirt bike overturned and between the police car and a guardrail on the bridge.
The video concluded with officers surrounding Williams, pulling his right arm behind his back as he remained on the hood of the police vehicle.
Williams’ family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in Bronx Supreme Court, seeking accountability for the crash. The December 2023 complaint, filed by attorney Jaime Santana, alleges that officers intentionally crossed the double yellow line into oncoming traffic to intercept Williams. It further claims that officers left him on the hood of the vehicle without providing proper medical care.
In a statement shared on Instagram, Santana called for the officer who struck Williams to be arrested and charged. The family continues to demand justice, maintaining that the actions of the officers were reckless and directly contributed to Williams’s death.
The Office of Special Investigation is still reviewing the incident, and no charges have been filed against the officers involved.
Under New York law, the state attorney general is required to look into and, if needed, prosecute cases involving deaths caused by police officers. These cases are handled by OSI.
