A teenage football star has killed an 84-year-old pedestrian during a collision during an alleged illegal street race.
The crash happened in Alphaville, an upscale neighbourhood of Barueri in Greater Sao Paulo, Brazil, on August 3. Security camera footage shows Nicolas Bosshardt, 19, driving a black BMW 220i along Alameda Rio Negro avenue when the elderly pedestrian crosses the road and is struck by the vehicle.
Victim identified
The victim, identified as Paulo Rodrigues, 84, was crossing near the Iguatemi Alphaville shopping centre at around 9.53pm when he was hit. Paulo was taken by firefighters to a local emergency unit but later died from his injuries.
Nicolas, a rising prospect from Sao Paulo's youth academy, had been with two fellow academy players shortly before the crash after the trio ate dinner together at the shopping centre.
Player's background
The teenager, who holds both Swiss and Brazilian citizenship, was one of Sao Paulo FC’s rising prospects after coming through the club’s famous Cotia youth academy before breaking into the senior squad. He had already made seven senior appearances for the club, including two starts, before the crash.
Police registered the incident as suspected participation in an illegal street race, after a witness reported seeing Nicolas and another vehicle travelling at high speed shortly before the collision.
Witness account
The witness told police he saw Nicolas' BMW and a white Honda Civic moving quickly along Alameda Rio Negro before finding Paulo lying in the road. The witness said he questioned both drivers about their speed and whether they had been racing.
According to the statement, both drivers admitted they had been travelling quickly but said they had already reduced their speed before the collision and denied they were still taking part in a race at the moment of impact.
Investigation
Police seized Nicolas' vehicle and mobile phone for forensic examination as they investigate the circumstances of the crash.
Nicolas denied taking part in an illegal race and said he had been driving home after dinner with fellow Sao Paulo players Ryan Francisco and Igor Teixeira Felisberto. The three players had been together at the shopping centre before leaving separately. The footballer said none of them had consumed alcohol before leaving the restaurant.
Player's statement
In his statement, Nicolas said he saw Paulo crossing the road and tried to avoid hitting him but was unable to prevent the collision. He said he noticed his right-side mirror had broken after the impact, reversed back to the scene and called emergency services.
Nicolas also claimed a phone application installed on his device recorded his journey and showed he was travelling at around 50 kph (31 mph) at the time of the crash.
Igor Teixeira, who was driving the white Honda Civic, told police he had been following Nicolas after leaving dinner and denied that they were racing. He said both vehicles had reduced speed because of speed bumps in the area and estimated they were travelling between 60 and 70 kph (37 and 43mph).
Ryan Francisco, who was driving a separate Audi A5, said he only learned about the crash after receiving a call from Igor and later returned to the scene.
Aftermath
A witness said Nicolas stayed at the scene after the collision, helped contact emergency services and remained there until police and rescue crews arrived.
Nicolas was detained after the crash but was granted provisional release following a custody hearing on 4th August.
The judge suspended his right to drive or obtain a driving licence until further notice and ordered him to appear in court every month to report and justify his activities. He must also keep his address updated and cannot leave his city of residence for more than eight days without prior judicial permission. The travel restriction was imposed after the court considered his dual Swiss and Brazilian nationality.
The judge said she was giving the footballer a "vote of confidence" because he had remained at the scene and cooperated after the crash.
Sao Paulo said Nicolas remained at the scene, provided assistance and later went to the police station to give his statement.
The club said: "It was confirmed that the athlete had not consumed alcohol and that his National Driving Licence was in a regular situation. Sao Paulo Football Club deeply regrets what happened and offers its solidarity to the victim's family at this moment of pain and distress."
Nicolas' defence said the player had stayed at the scene, cooperated with authorities and that Paulo had crossed outside a designated pedestrian crossing.
The investigation remains ongoing as police determine the exact circumstances of the collision and whether an illegal race took place.
