A solemn group of family, friends and street safety advocates gathered on August 28 to memorialize a beloved Bronx resident who was fatally run down by a hit and run driver travelling east on Bruckner Boulevard.
Angelo Camara, 51, typically rode the same route home every night but had chosen a slightly different route that fateful evening. Witnesses report that the driver of a speeding 2018 black BMW sedan ran a red light before striking Camara, who was on his way home after a long day or work as an auto mechanic in Hunts Point.
On a narrow median, separating the east and westbound Bruckner Boulevard, at Longwood Avenue, an impromptu makeshift candle memorial was set up near the crash site in remembrance of the Hunts Point resident.
On this occasion members of ghostbikes.org, Transportation Alternatives, Families for Safer Streets, Harlem River Greenway, Hutchinson River Greenway and the NYC Street Memorial Project joined Angelo’s loved ones to dedicate a ‘ghost bike’ on the Bruckner side of the 41st Police Precinct in his memory.
The ceremony marked the first ghost bike memorial installation in the Bronx this year.
Camara’s wife, Vilmary Martinez also attended the vigil, comforted by immediate family members.
Councilman Justin Sanchez stood along with the 40 to 50 grieving mourners, expressing his sadness and his disappointment that the driver that mowed down the father of five had fled the scene and has not been apprehended.
He offered hope that the driver would be identified, and justice served.
Friends and neighbors from the building on Tiffany Street where Camara lived for decades took turns sharing their own reflections of a person, they all agreed, would give his last penny to someone less fortunate.
“Angelo would give you the shirt off his back. That’s how I’ll always remember him. He was like a brother to me,” said Anthony Davis, a neighbor and family friend of 35 years.
The group of mourners watched with great sorrow as the white painted ghost bike was chained to a signpost and a metal sign with the inscription “Cyclist Killed Here” was bolted above the bicycle, high enough to be visible to drivers travelling along the busy roadway.
Etched on the back of the sign was Camara’s name, age, and the date of the tragedy.
Transportation Alternatives, a street-safety advocacy not-for-profit, says 16 cyclists have been killed in New York City so far this year.
Four NYC residents were killed in hit and run incidents last week alone, including three that were travelling by bike. Advocates say the deaths emphasize the need for a new citywide plan for safer streets.
Protesters staged a ‘die-in’ at City Hall Park on Wednesday, August 26 to condemn the recent spate of hit and run crashes.
