NYPD (file)
NYPD (file)Mendy Hechtman/Flash90

A six-year-old girl was hit and killed by a school bus in the haredi town of Kiryas Yoel in New York on Friday.

The crash happened at about 11:15 a.m. near the intersection of Acres Road and Lemberg Court, according to WABC-TV in New York.

Investigators with the New York State Police identified the girl as Leah Messi, of Brooklyn. She had just gotten off the bus and headed toward a nearby sidewalk. It is believed she apparently abruptly changed directions and began to cross the street in front of the bus. The driver did not see Messi change directions and struck her with the front bumper.

She was pronounced dead at the scene.

People who live nearby said the girl was staying with relatives, as her parents were in Brooklyn attending a wedding.

The state police reconstruction team was at the scene for hours trying to figure out exactly what happened, reported WABC-TV.

Investigators said there was a livery cab parked at the intersection and captured the incident on its dash camera. That footage will be used as a part of the investigation.

"They really went out of their way to speed things up and we appreciate their sensitivity to the dignity of the dead," community leaders said of the police work.