Unlicensed Driver Kills Cyclist in Staten Island; Receives Minor Charges

A Staten Island cyclist was run down by an unlicensed driver on a quiet street mere feet from his home on Friday morning — and the driver was charged with minor counts, police said.

Daci Zudi, 79, had just left his home on Signs Road at around 8:20 a.m. and was cycling westbound towards Arlene Street. He had entered the intersection, where he was run over and killed by Faustino Rebollar Garcia, 43, who cops said was making a left turn from Signs Road onto Arlene Street in his 2000 Ford pickup. He was charged with failure to exercise due care, a minor charge that rarely carries jail time, and for driving without a valid license, which is also a light charge, as Streetsblog has reported.

An NYPD spokesman said he could not say if Rebollar Garcia was speeding or whether he had run the stop sign — but in any event, Rebollar Garcia was likely exceeding the speed limit, given the severity of the injuries to Zudi, who was taken to Richmond University Medical Center, where he died, becoming the fourth cyclist killed this year.