Friends say collecting recyclables is something 71-year-old Virginia Montalvo had done countless times before. In fact, she was killed just two blocks from her home.
An electronic police message board on Jamaica Avenue was the only visible reminder of the deadly accident.
Grieving relatives rushed to the scene where Montalvo was killed.
Her son, Estaban Montalvo, said collecting bootles and cans was a hobby she'd taken up to relieve boredom.
"Me and my sisters would advise her not to go out, especially in this area at night or overnight, because it's dangerous," Estaban said through a translator.
But Montalvo found the busy section of Jamaica Avenue fertile hunting ground. The bottles and cans she'd gathered littered the crime scene as police collected evidence to help find her killer.
"They're low lifes," neighbor David Limones said. "To hit somebody and just run off, that's not right. Just have the dececency to stay around and see if they're all right."
Detectives are going through the neighborhood, posting fliers and asking for help. They are trying to find the driver responsible.
According to witnesses, the vehicle fled eastbound on Jamaica Avenue.
The description of the vehicle is very vague, but police say they're looking for a dark-colored cargo van.
---
WEB PRODUCED BY: Lakisha Bostick
NEW YORK AND TRI-STATE AREA NEWS
USEFUL LINKS:
