Police identify man dragged by van as 26-year-old immigrant from Ecuador

By Calvin Palmer

The pedestrian dragged 17 miles through the streets of New York City by a van after he was hit by an SUV was identified today as a 26-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant recently laid off from a construction job.

A cousin identified the man as Guido Salvador Carabajo-Jara, police said.

Officers had found only a business card, Western Union receipt and iPhone in his pockets after his battered body was discovered in Brooklyn yesterday morning.

Police said the gruesome death was accidental and that they have no plans to charge the two drivers, who both have clean driving records.

An autopsy is due to be carried out today to determine when Carabajo-Jara died. The miles of being dragged wore off the hair on the back of his head, his clothing, and skin on his legs and buttocks.

Carabajo-Jara was apparently unmarried and shared an apartment in Queens with his cousin and sister, police said.

A relative, Ignacio Quintero, said Carabajo-Jara had a 4-year-old daughter in Ecuador and sent money back to his family there to care for the girl. He described Carabajo-Jara as a hard worker whose mission was to provide for his child and save enough money to build a home in Ecuador.

He was hit yesterday morning by a sports utility vehicle in the Corona section of Queens, while apparently crossing against the light. The driver, Gustavo Acosta, called police, who arrived to find the victim of the accident gone.

About two vehicles behind Manual Lituma Sanchez ran over Carabajo-Jara with his van, and Carabajo-Jara became hooked to the underside of the vehicle. Unaware of anything wrong, Lituma Sanchez drove to Brooklyn, ending up in Brighton Beach, where he worked as a delivery man, police said.

At one point, he even suspected something was wrong, pulled over and checked under the hood. But he did not look under the car.

The van traveled for nearly an hour before a pedestrian alerted Lituma Sanchez to something dragging under his van. It was only then that he saw the body and called authorities.

[Based on a report by the Associated Press.]