Transportation advocates and members of the Brooklyn community gathered to commemorate the life of a man who was fatally struck in a hit-and-run late on Thursday night.
The victim, 56-year-old Eugene Schroeder, was struck by what investigators say may have been a truck at the intersection of Morgan and Johnson avenues.
According to the NYPD, a vehicle was traveling south on Morgan Avenue and came to a stop at the intersection. The biker came to a stop to the right of the car, and the vehicle made a right turn onto Johnson Avenue, striking the biker who was thrown into the roadway.
Transportation advocates tell News 12 that they've been calling for safer conditions on Morgan Avenue following a slew of injuries to bike riders and pedestrians.
"We need protected bike lanes, which means that cyclists and vehicles are separated," said Kathy Park Price, Brooklyn organizer for Transportation Alternatives. "Whether it’s through barriers or through parked cars, there are multiple ways to create a protected bike lane."
According to Vision Zero, there have been 17 cyclist deaths and over 4,000 injuries since 2022.
The driver of the vehicle left the scene of the fatal incident, and the NYPD Highway District's Collision Investigation Squad is hoping to find the person responsible.