Two Bronx men parked their cars and stepped into a grocery store — two minutes later, they were grateful they weren’t inside them
A fortunate sequence of events can make the difference between life and death. Father of two, Essa Jabbie, had just gotten out of his Toyota Highlander, while another man named Tyreq Chiles had also parked his car in Morrisania outside a grocery store. However, two minutes later, they thanked the Almighty for not being inside the car after they heard a loud noise. Reported by Bronx News on Monday, June 15, 2026, the two men explained what had happened moments after they stepped out of their vehicles.
Jabbie had parked at the intersection of Boston Road and Union Avenue, while Chiles had parked his car and had stepped out to take a break after he cleaned his vehicle. When Jabbie went inside the grocery store, he heard a loud crash and assumed it was another accident until he noticed his car on top of another one. As per the surveillance camera footage, the crash took place around 11:30 a.m. A car had slammed into the Highlander, launching it onto Chiles' four-wheeler while shattering the windshield. However, what saved their lives was their split-second decision to get out of the cars.
Jabbie said that although he was grateful for not losing his life, his livelihood as an Uber driver depended on his car, which had now been destroyed beyond repair. "I have a family, I have two girls, so thank God I'm not in my car. I have to pay my rent and bills," he noted. 26-year-old Chiles, on the other hand, expressed his gratitude for not being inside the car at the time of the crash.
When the crash took place, Justice Villaba, who worked next door, rushed to the scene and found the driver trapped inside. The driver involved in the crash was taken to a local hospital and later regained consciousness. While cops have yet to release more information about the cause of the crash, Villaba noted that the driver may have been traveling above the 25 mph speed limit.
According to a report released by the National Safety Council Injury Facts, between 1913 and 2024, there has been a significant increase in motor vehicle deaths in the United States. The death rate in 2024 was 1.44 per 10,000 vehicles. Despite a 93% drop in the mileage death rate from 1923 to 2024, the vehicle death rate increased by 2.1%, the mileage death rate increased by 8.3%, and the population death rate increased by 5.9%. By sheer luck, the two men were able to escape the car crash just in time; the accident could have cost them their lives.
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