This doctor has a poor record of operating — motor vehicles.
The driver of the BMW that crashed atop a Volvo SUV in Midtown and crushed the leg of an FDNY firefighter who came to the rescue is a Brooklyn kidney doctor — and apparently a long-time scofflaw, with nine speeding- and red light-camera violations, records show.
Dr. Neal Mittman, 69, slammed his new $61,000 BMW X5 into the Volvo, landing on that car’s roof, according to authorities, witnesses and photos.
One of the emergency responders, Firefighter Ryan Warnock, was helping remove Mittman and his son, Zachary, 28, who were trapped inside the BMW.
After getting the son out, Warnock crawled inside to reach Mittman. “It appears the driver likely hit the gas. . . causing it to topple,” the FDNY said. It fell on Warnock, breaking bones in his leg.
The firefighter was treated at Bellevue Hospital and released a few days ago.
“He’s in good spirits and feeling very fortunate” it wasn’t worse, said FDNY spokesman Jim Long.
The NYPD refused to release the BMW driver’s name, saying he was not arrested or issued a summons “at this time.” The Post learned his name and obtained a copy of the initial police report.
Mittman, who lives in Manhattan, racked up 26 NYC parking and camera violations in less than 10 years, a search of “How’s My Driving NY?” found. The violations include speeding in a school zone eight times since 2016 in Brooklyn and Manhattan, and failure to stop at a red light on Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn on Jan. 31.
Mittman’s BMW was also ticketed, in both boroughs, for parking his car in bus lanes, no-standing zones, and at a bus stop. Fines ranged from $35 to $115 per violation.
Camera violations are issued to the registered owner of an offending vehicle and do not count as moving violations against a particular driver because the photos only capture the license plate, not the driver.
Police are investigating the July 17 collision to determine Mittman’s speed and braking, sources told The Post.
Matthew Wahn and his wife, Randi, of Bayside, were heading out to dinner and stopped at a red light on West 42nd Street and 11th Avenue when Mittman’s BMW rear-ended and mounted their $40,000 SUV, leaving both cars totaled.
“We thought something fell from a building,” Wahn told The Post. “When we looked up, we saw this vehicle sitting on top of our car. We were able to see the driver. And then we said ‘Oh my God, we’re okay.’ And we called 911.”
Witnesses quickly approached the couple.
“People came down from the buildings and told us, ‘We were watching it out the window, and just want to tell you that it looked like [Mittman] was expecting the light to be green and traveling at such a high rate of speed. We saw his car fly through the air,’” Wahn said.
Wahn added, “When he realized that the light was red he was, I guess, trying to use the brakes. It’s not the kind of impact you’d expect when approaching a red light on a street at 25 miles per hour. To turn a car over like that was really quite amazing.”
At the scene, Mittman did not approach Wahn and his wife. Wahn said he went over to Mittman, who told him the BMW was brand new – just 250 miles on it – with “lane avoidance technology.” Mittman blamed the mishap on a malfunction of the safety device.
Told about Mittman’s traffic violations, Wahn said, “His history might indicate that he’s not a very good driver or a safe driver.”
On Wednesday, a reporter approached Mittman while the doctor sat in an Audi SUV after leaving his office at Kidney Care of Brooklyn on Prospect Avenue. He declined to comment, rolled up his window, and drove away.
