‘My heart goes out to them’ says NYC hit-and-run suspect

NEW YORK — A driver suspected of fleeing the scene of a New York City crash that killed a pregnant woman, her husband and ultimately the child they were expecting is meeting with an attorney Tuesday and plans to report to police.

Julio Acevedo, 44, told the Daily News of New York that he was speeding away from a gunman who was trying to shoot him early Sunday when the accident with a hired car happened in Brooklyn.

The death of the ultraOrthodox Jewish couple and their baby — who survived a day after being delivered by caesarean section following the crash — plunged their close-knit community into mourning as police searched for Acevedo.

Acevedo said he fled the scene because he was worried he’d be killed and didn’t know the couple had died until he saw it in newspapers.

“My heart goes out to them,” Acevedo told the newspaper Tuesday in a phone call arranged by a friend. “I didn’t know they died until I saw the news.” Acevedo was in a BMW going at least 96 km/h when he crashed into another car carrying Nachman and Raizy Glauber, both 21. They died Sunday, and their premature son died Monday.

The hired car had a stop sign; it’s not clear if the driver stopped.

Acevedo was arrested last month on a charge of driving while under the influence, and the case is pending. He was stopped by police after they said he was driving erratically.