For at least the fourth time in eight days, a hit-and-run driver has killed a New York City pedestrian.
The latest crash happened Saturday at around 10 p.m., when according to reports Nisath Hossain, 58, was struck on Queens Boulevard at 71st Avenue in Forest Hills.
Hossain, who came to the U.S. from Bangladesh in 1998, had just finished a shift at a nearby McDonald's. She died at North Shore Forest Hills Hospital.
From the Daily News:
Relatives said Hossain and her husband [who reportedly died last year] had struggled to support themselves when they first came to the United States, but were finally able to raise enough money four years ago for their adult son, Faisal Riaz, 34, to join them.
"She gave me everything. Since the day I came into this world, she's done everything," her teary-eyed son told the Daily News.
"She's everything to me. I never missed out on anything, because she worked so hard, she took care of everything, she worked 24 hours for me," said Riaz in front of the emergency room at North Shore Forest Hills Hospital.
"I want the driver brought to judgement. I hope law enforcement gets him so this doesn't happen to anyone else.
"I'm all alone now. I don't want this to happen to anyone else," he said.
Reports say the killer drove a silver minivan, and was traveling westbound on Queens Boulevard. No arrests have been made as of early this afternoon, according to NYPD.
Locals told WCBS that despite marginal improvements they still fear the "Boulevard of Death."
"I don’t chance it," one neighbor said. "I stand there like a little kid, you know? And I wait until it’s green."
"They’ve slowed down the lights a bit, you know, that’s helped a bit," another man added. "But still, this is basically a highway."
Hossain was at least the fourth NYC pedestrian since September 13 to be killed by a motorist who fled the scene. In two of the four crashes, the driver was not immediately caught or identified.
This fatal crash occurred in the 112th Precinct, where as of August officers had issued 208 speeding tickets in 2013. To voice your concerns about neighborhood traffic safety directly to Captain Thomas J. Conforti, the commanding officer, go to the next precinct community council meeting. The 112th Precinct council meetings are at 7:30 p.m. on the third Wednesday of the month at the precinct, 68-40 Austin Street. Call 718-520-9321 for information.
The City Council district where Nisath Hossain was killed is represented by Karen Koslowitz. To encourage Koslowitz to take action to improve street safety in her district and citywide, contact her at 212-788-6981 or @CMKoslowitz.
This post has been corrected. It originally said this crash occurred in James Gennaro's council district.
