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‘I want justice’: Arrest made in fatal Brooklyn hit-and-run nearly 1 year later
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 16, 2024
Modified Feb 16, 2024
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Photo courtesy John Rappaport
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Feb 16, 2024
Modified Feb 16, 2024
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Police arrested a 34-year-old Queens man nearly one year after the truck driver fatally struck a cyclist in Brooklyn, the NYPD said.
The victim’s husband, however, said the news was cold comfort.
Akilo Cadogan, 34, was arrested around 8:30 a.m. in connection with the hit-and-run that killed 56-year-old Brooklyn resident Eugene Schroeder on March 10, 2023, police said. Cadogan was arraigned in Brooklyn criminal court and charged with leaving an accident resulting in a death, according to court records.
Schroeder’s husband, John Rappaport said he was still processing news of the arrest Thursday evening.
“I don’t know, it’s complicated. I don’t feel anything right now because I’ve been going through so much,” he told Gothamist. “Can you imagine somebody that you lived with for 17 years, that was supposed to come home, was killed by somebody and left him like a rat in the street, like a flattened rat?”
The truck driver is a former seasonal employee for the city’s Department of Transportation. He was not actively employed by the agency at the time of the crash, is not now and will not be again, according to DOT spokesperson Vincent Barone.
"This was a terrible tragedy, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of Eugene Schroeder," Barone said. "Leaving the scene of a crash is unacceptable and illegal, and we hope the perpetrator is brought to justice. One preventable traffic death is too many, and we are grateful for NYPD’s hard work on this case.”
Police said the crash happened at 11:30 p.m. on Morgan and Johnson Avenues in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Schroeder was riding his bicycle in a marked bike lane when he came to a stop on the passenger side of a 2012 Volvo truck at the intersection, according to the NYPD.
Officials alleged Cadogan hit Schroeder, who suffered severe head trauma, as he was making a right onto Johnson Avenue. He was taken to Elmhurst hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Cadogan pleaded not guilty to the charges on Thursday. His attorney was not reachable for comment.
Rappaport, who has waited almost a year to see an arrest, said he wants justice for his late husband and had hoped the charges would be more severe.
“I know what the charges are, it's not what they originally were talking about. And it's very frustrating,” he said. “I'm just following along, but it's hard. It's painful. It's painful, painful, painful.”
Schroeder was a DJ who worked late nights at Hell’s Kitchen clubs like Ritz, Therapy and Barrage, according to his Soundcloud page.
Rappaport said he didn’t think anything of it when his late husband didn’t come home that night — until he received a call from Schroeder’s number. When he answered, an NYPD officer was on the other end and asked if police could come into his apartment saying his husband had been killed.
“I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I thought he was arrested because he was riding his bike, and he might have kicked somebody, and you know how it is riding a bike in New York City," he said. "But instead, he was murdered and I don't care what they say, he was murdered."
Rappaport, whose nickname for Schroeder was “Snickey Bootz” said he remembers him as “the most special person in the whole world.”
“I'm disabled, he took care of me. I have nothing. I have nothing. Both of us had no family,” he said. “We have two cats and it was us. We have nothing. So that's why I want justice for him," he said. “I love him so much.”
This story has been updated with comment from the city Department of Transportation.
Tagged
queens
public safety
transportation
brooklyn
Catalina Gonella
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