Man critically injured in Hudson Square Instagram car stunt

A man was seriously injured in Hudson Square as he tried to film a driver doing donuts in a souped-up car.

According to cops, at midnight, right as Friday became Saturday this past weekend, the driver was spinning his car in tight, tire-burning circles at Vandam and Greenwich Streets, on the east side of the U.P.S. building.

A man stood in the middle of the circle, pivoting around and filming the action on his phone as a crowd watched from the sidelines, of course filming on their own phones.

Another guy also jumped into the circle to video the stunt. However, a third man who tried to join them stumbled and fell before he could get into the safe spot in the middle, and was run over by the car.

The victim suffered a fractured skull, brain injury and severe trauma to the body. E.M.S. transported him to Bellevue Hospital where he was listed in critical condition.

The suspect fled the scene eastbound on Vandam Street. He was driving a red, two-door Infiniti sedan with a yellow decal on the driver’s side with the words “Tyler Spec.”

According to Nextdoor, the hyperlocal social-networking service, drivers doing donuts at the location has been an ongoing issue, with police chasing off the drivers, who simply return later.

The Daily News reported on Tuesday that the victim is Christopher Brito, 23, from Washington Heights. He is conscious but cannot currently eat or speak and “faces months in the intensive care unit” at Bellevue, according to his family.

The lawyer for the driver, who is reportedly named Tyler, said the wanted man will turn himself in to police on Wednesday. He said the driver didn’t realize he had struck anyone.

“He didn’t know until after the fact. Everyone told him to leave, ‘Get out of here,'” he told the News.

The Lower Manhattan event was reportedly organized on Instagram.

“They’re trying to imitate the Los Angeles car scene,” the lawyer told the tabloid. “They call it a ‘takeover.'”

He said people often dart into “the pit” while a car is spinning out to capture dramatic video.

Police ask that anyone with information call the N.Y.P.D.’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). Tips can also be submitted on the Crime Stoppers Web site at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org or on Twitter at @NYPDTips. All tips are strictly confidential.