A traffic officer was struck and killed by a truck Saturday afternoon in midtown Manhattan, officials said.
The truck hit the officer at 44th Street near the corner of 5th Avenue.
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the officer was working and standing in the street's parking lane when he was hit.
"It underscores how dangerous the job can be," Kelly said. "He was in the roadway doing his job and he was struck and killed."
Witnesses said the truck was just beginning to pull away from the curb when the right front side hit the officer, pulling him under the wheel, and that it looked like he was on a cellphone before he was hit.
The officer's identity has not been released. Traffic officers who said they knew the deceased said he had been working with the department for about 5 years.
No other injuries have been reported in connection with the accident, which is under investigation.