2 Cars Crash, 1 Lands on Banks of Byram River [Video] [Updated]

Updated 1 p.m.:

A 24-year-old Port Chester, NY man has been charged in connection with a two-car crash early Thursday during which the car he was driving ended up on the banks of the Byram River.

According to Greenwich Police Lt. Kraig Gray, Jose R. Flores of 38 Madison Ave., was charged with evading responsibility and operating without a license in connection with the crash, reported about 2:30 a.m. Bond was set at $500 bond on those charges, however, police said Flores was held on an Immigration Customs Enforcement detainer order.

Police were continuing their investigation Thursday afternoon into what precipitated the incident in which Flores and a second driver crashed their vehicles on Halstead Avenue and Caroline Place, police spokesman Lt. Kraig Gray said. 

There apparently was contact between the 1994 BMW Flores was driving and a 2010 Toyota Corolla driven by Charlene Batista, 20, of 9 French St., Yonkers, NY. Batista was ticketed for following too close, Gray said.

The Toyota crashed into a stone wall in front of 129 Halstead Ave. The BMW continued through the intersection of Caroline Place, clipped a tree, hit a large stone outdoor fireplace of 1 Caroline Pl., before coming to rest on the banks of the Byram River.

Gray said Flores fled the scene. Details on how Flores was apprehended were not immediately available. He was scheduled to appear July 28 in state Superior Court in Stamford.

Original story:

The early morning quiet of the Halstead Avenue - Caroline Place neighborhood along the banks of the Byram River were shattered by the sounds screeching tires, breaking glass and a crash Thursday - the result of one car smashing a stone wall and another landing on the banks of the Byram River.

Shortly before 2:30 a.m. residents came out of their homes to find the wreckage of a Toyota Corolla and a late model BMW. The black Toyota plowed into a stone wall at the bottom of Halstead Avenue. The BMW continued down Halstead Avenue, through the intersection of Caroline Place, apparently became airborne, crashing through a chain link fence, clipping the top of a tree, and demolishing a large stone outdoor fireplace before landing on the banks of the Byram River.

Greenwich Police at the scene could not locate either the driver or an unknown number of passengers of the white BMW which carried New York state license plates. The driver and passengers of the Toyota were apparently uninjured.

Residents reported hearing cars speeding down the hill of Halstead, the sound of glass breaking, and cars skidding before the impact. More than 100-feet of skid marks lined the pavement with broken glass and car parts littering the road. Residents also said they heard the driver of the Toyota say she was following the BMW to get the license plate after a mirror was stolen or broken on the car.

Police were using measurement tools and speaking to witnesses to determine how the crashes occurred. It was not immediately known if police cited the driver of the Toyota. Police were investigating whether there was contact between the cars before the crashes.

With Greenwich fire crews standing by, a tow truck and a flatbed from Round Hill Service were used to winch the BMW up the riverbank and out of the yard of the Caroline Place home. A wheel from the car lay in the yard.

It took crews nearly 2 1/2 hours to clear the scene.