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Mother Of Cyclist Killed In Bushwick "Never Thought Biking Would Take His Life"
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 3, 2012
Modified Oct 3, 2012
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Oct 3, 2012
Modified Oct 3, 2012
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Terence Connor, the 26-year-old cyclist who was killed by a hit-and-run driver early Monday morning, may have been hit by a truck, according to Connor's relatives who have spoken to detectives working on the case. "Based on the location he was found and that there wasn't much damage to his bike, [the detectives] said that he was probably clipped by a truck," Connor's cousin Tyama McQueen says. "He was laying in front of an abandoned warehouse, and the officer I spoke to said that there weren't real cameras in front of it, just dummy cameras. But they also said there's other video taken in the area that they're reviewing."
Calls to the unit handling Connor's case, Brooklyn's Highway 2 Investigation Squad, have not been returned. An NYPD spokesman said, "It's still under investigation. There is no new information."
McQueen says that her cousin recently moved from Williamsburg to Ridgewood, and was biking home after spending an evening out with friends. "Last I heard his bike was stolen," McQueen added, "He left it at the train station for two days, and we were like, 'What did you think was gonna happen?' So I guess he got a new one."
Connor's case bears some similarities to that of Mathieu Lefevre, who was killed last year by a flatbed truck in a hit-and-run crash a little over a half-mile from where Connor was struck in an industrial area of East Williamsburg. "Over the past year, Terence had been using his bike a lot," Connor's mother, Beatrice, says. "It wasn't a worry for me. I never thought [biking] would take his life."
McQueen, a nurse at New York Presbyterian, is also an avid cyclist. "I kind of feel like cars don't respect bikes—sometimes I feel like pedestrians don't even respect bikes. You really do have to watch out for cars and people." Asked if she believed the NYPD was taking the case of her cousin's death seriously, McQueen replied, "When I last spoke with them, I did. I have to call them back today."
A candlelight vigil will be held in Connor's memory at the intersection of Stewart Avenue and Metropolitan Avenue tomorrow. The vigil is being organized by members of Connor's band, Total Slacker. "He was loved around the world," Connor's bandmade, Tucker Roundtree said in an email. "We've received about 100 emails from fans and friends in the past day expressing their sorrow. He was a true soul, a true believer in the human race. I can't believe he's gone."
McQueen said there will also be a memorial service on Friday, and that Total Slacker will perform, but the location has yet to be determined. Connor's family is flying from Atlanta to New York tomorrow, and will return to Georgia to bury Terence. "I know people say that their loved ones are great people all the time," McQueen says. "But he really was a great person. He really was. It's a huge loss in my family. He's truly missed."
Tagged
AIS
bicyclist fatality
brooklyn
bushwick
cycling fatalities
cyclists
hit and run
nypd
terence connor
tragedies
original
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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