Couple Killed On Way To Birth Of First Child

A young couple on the way to hospital for the birth of their first child have been killed in a hit-and-run in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The couple's baby boy was delivered prematurely and survived, authorities said. He was taken to a hospital in a serious condition.

Nathan and Raizy Glauber, both 21, were taken to area hospitals where they were pronounced dead. The medical examiner said both died from blunt-force trauma.

Raizy Glauber was thrown from the vehicle during the impact and her body landed under a parked tractor-trailer, according to witnesses who came to the scene after the crash.

Her husband was trapped in the vehicle and emergency workers had to cut off the roof to get him out.

Just hours afterwards, throngs of people gathered to mourn their deaths. Jewish law calls for burial of the dead as soon as possible.

A crowd of their fellow Orthodox Jews assembled on the street on Sunday afternoon for their funerals. Over a loudspeaker, a man could be heard sobbing as he spoke over their caskets.

Men in black hats gathered around the coffins in the middle of the street, while women in bright headscarves stood on the sidewalk, in accordance with the Orthodox Jewish tradition of separating the sexes at religious services.

"I will never forget you, my daughter!" said Yitzchok Silberstein, Raizy Glauber's father.

Afterwards, the cars carrying the bodies left and headed to Monsey, New York, where Mr Glauber grew up. Another service is planned there.

The driver of the couple's car is in a stable condition.

Authorities said the driver and passenger of a BMW which collided with their vehicle fled on foot. A search is underway.

The Glaubers were married about a year ago and had begun a life together in Williamsburg, relatives said. He was studying at a rabbinical college nearby.

Brooklyn Hasidic community activist Isaac Abraham said the Orthodox Jewish couple were using a car service to get to the hospital when the accident took place.

Brooklyn is home to the largest community of ultra-orthodox Jews outside Israel, with more than 250,000 living in the New York borough.