A stolen truck driven by model/actor Tyson Beckford’s nephew plowed into a city bus early Wednesday, catapulting its veteran driver to his death in Greenwich Village, cops said.
Instragam photos taken in the hours before the death of 17-year transit worker William Pena caught Domonic Whilby partying with his famous uncle and supermodel Shanina Shaik.
By 5:30 a.m., cops had the 22-year-old Georgia man in custody as Pena’s family, friends and co-workers were left to struggle with his sudden and pointless death.
The truck was apparently stolen from the garage beneath the Maritime Hotel, near the site of a birthday party for model Shaik and about two blocks from the horrific crash.
Sources told the Daily News that the hard-partying Whilby was escorted from the club 1 Oak around 3:30 a.m., and was then tossed from the Dream Downtown Hotel after passing out on the second floor.
Whilby then became aggravated when he couldn’t find a limousine that he expected to take him home.
The super at two W. 16th St. apartment buildings told The News that Whilby started randomly pounding on the doors in the middle of the night.
“He was sweating like a mad dog,” said Victor Vega, who turned over surveillance video to police. “He had to be high on drugs. He started kicking and banging the doors.”
According to Vega, cops told him that the truck was making an early morning delivery when Whilby jumped inside and sped away.
A side door was torn from the truck as it left a skid mark on the ramp leading to the street — where one witness watched the vehicle run a red light seconds before the wreck.
Beckford’s publicist was unaware of the incident, and his manager did not return a call for comment.
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But a relative confirmed the family connection between Beckford and Whilby — whose Instragram bio describes him as “a free spirited wild child ... religious stoner.”
Beckford, in a party picture with his arm wrapped around Whilby, described him as “My Nehew” (sic). In another photo, Whilby held a drink in his left hand as Shaik blew out the candles on her cake.
Whilby was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where authorities were expected to test him for drugs and alcohol in the wake of the horrific wreck at the intersection of Seventh Ave. and W. 14th St.
Pena died beneath the wheels of his bus after the pre-dawn crash that echoed through the quiet streets like thunder.
Pena, a married father of a 14-year-old daughter, was thrown out of his M14D bus when the box truck slammed into the bus, sending the two screeching vehicles careening into the sidewalk.
Pena, who was thrown from his driver’s seat, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.
The 49-year-old from Hillside, N.J., was remembered as a hard-working man and devoted father who was looking forward to retirement.
“It’s just the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess,” said his cousin, Edwin Espinal, 33. “That’s what happened to William — an honest, working guy and he paid the consequences. Unbelievable.”
“William was a great person,” added Pena’s brother, Alex Pena. “I can’t say no more about him, great person ... He was a great guy every way you can put it.”
Pena was driving eastbound before the collision, which left another four people injured.
The two vehicles finally crunched to a stop at the intersection’s southeast corner after smashing into several parked cars, a yellow cab, a person on a scooter, sidewalk scaffolding and a subway entrance, witnesses and police said.
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The scooter driver was dragged for about 50 feet but survived.
“He didn’t even brake,” said Eddie Abdelmoty, 51, of Long Island City. “My tires blew up ... He went right through the red light at the end of the block.”
All of the other victims suffered non-fatal injuries as the double-length bus and box truck cut a path of devastation onto the sidewalk.
“I thought it was an earthquake," said Michael Edwards, 34, who works security near the wreck site. “By the time I got outside police were already here..”
Whilby, the driver of the stolen 18 Rabbits Granola truck, suffered minor neck injuries in the crash, police said. He was taken into custody at the scene and later slapped with a whopping ten charges including manslaughter, two counts of grand larceny, three counts of criminal assault, criminal mischief, and criminal trespass, police said.
The truck was commandeered just two blocks from the crash site, sources said. Police were not in pursuit of truck prior to the fatal impact, transit sources said.
“This is a terrible tragedy,” said Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen. “This is incredibly dangerous work and this exemplifies the dangers workers face day in and day out.”
A neighbor of Pena’s in New Jersey echoed Samuelsen’s assessment after learning of the tragedy from the driver’s sister-in-law.
“I said, ‘What do you mean, he died?’” recounted Claudio Diaz, 88, who lives two doors down from the Penas. “I was crying when I was talking to her. I can’t believe it. The wife and daughter must be destroyed.”
Pena’s co-workers at the Michael J. Quill Bus Depot, on the west Side of Manhattan, off W. 40th St., were devastated by the news that their “brother” had perished in the disastrous wreck.
“We’re all saddened and all hurt,” said Stephen Pierre, 30, who knew Pena for six years. “We don't know how we can handle it.”
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Fellow co-worker Anthony Flores, 34, said many city residents don’t understand the hazards of navigating a bus along busy city streets each day.
“He was doing a hard job,” he said. “People don't understand the magnitude of the job and the obstacles we face.”
Food vendor Ashraf Marei and one of his customers barely escaped from the crash with their lives.
Marei was inside his enclosed food cart when the cab came flying into his path, police and his cousin said. He sustained minor injuries.
“I'm very upset. It makes me angry,” said Ehmad Shehata, 29, who was slinging food nearby and rushed to the accident scene. “I stayed with him. He was crying. He couldn't talk.”
The injured customer was taken to Beth Israel Medical Center, officials said.
Marei, a father of five who lives in Astoria, suffered burns on his body after the cart's water line spewed steaming water onto his body, Shehata said.
“He was screaming,” his cousin said. “Hot water burned his body.”
Craig Ydolly, 41, was taking a stroll to get his morning doughnut when he caught the tail end of the early morning wreck and saw the vendor splayed on the sidewalk near his busted food cart.
“He was curled up, wearing a hood, an olive green sweater,” Ydolly said. “I looked under the bus and saw gasoline dripping from the front of the bus so I ran away as fast as I could. I took off.”
The collision’s thunderous sound awakened nearby residents.
“I was asleep. I heard this crazy bang. I looked out and I saw this mess,” said one witness who lives nearby.
18 Rabbits Granola, a San Francisco-based company, did not immediately return calls for comment. It was not clear if the truck was owned by the company or a subcontractor.
With Pete Donohue, Irving DeJohn and Tina Moore
lmcshane@nydailynews.com
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