Family seeks answers after beloved Chinatown educator killed in crash with bicyclist
CHINATOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- Friends and loved ones are seeking answers after a beloved community member in Chinatown was killed days after being hit by a bicyclist.
Priscilla Loke, the assistant director of Chinatown Head Start, was struck earlier this month while she was walking to work.
The incident was reported at the corner of Christie and Grand streets on Sept. 5. The traffic had just stopped and pedestrians were crossing, which means the two-way bike lanes likely had a red light too.
After she was struck, Loke never regained consciousness and was taken off life support on Sept. 8, three days after the crash.
The collision was captured on video and the bicyclist was seen talking to police in the moments after, but after they walked over to the victim, the man got back on the bike and left the scene.
The NYPD has not been able to find him since.
"Come forward because the family here deserves some answers, they should know what happened, one way or the other," said Willington Chen with Chinatown BID.
Loke's family and friends are sending a letter to the NYPD asking for those answers. They are asking why the man was allowed to leave, do they know who he is, and why the Collision Investigation Squad, which investigates fatal and serious crashes, didn't respond and shut down the intersection until about an hour later.
Loke was looking forward to retirement.
"It's taken her away from what my family could have, the closest thing to a grandmother," said her nephew Weng Wai Ho.
Loke didn't have children, but was devoted to kids at the Head Start center she helped run for more than 30 years, and to her grandnieces and nephews.
Spending more time with them was a big part of her retirement plan. Her family and friends say more than seeing the cyclist charged, they want him to understand the consequences of his choices that day, especially if he's still out there riding a bike.
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