Advocates call for police pursuits in NYC to stop after 5th innocent bystander death this year
ASTORIA, Queens (WABC) -- Concerns are growing about police chases through the streets of New York City following the death of a cyclist this week.
A 36-year-old cyclist in Queens was struck and killed Tuesday night by a truck that officers were pursuing.
A memorial marks the place where Amanda Servedio was killed Tuesday night while riding her bike, when a pickup truck that police attempted to pull over struck and killed her in Astoria.
People in the neighborhood are still shaken up by what happened.
The tragedy brings up the issue of police chases in the city.
Advocates say this is an example of why they should not happen at all.
Servedio was riding her bike near the intersection of 37th Street and 34th Avenue when a black truck evading police, raced through the intersection, struck Servedio, sending her bike into the air and landing on a nearby parked car.
Servedio was pronounced dead at Elmhurst Hospital.
"I'm a cyclist myself. I commute into the city. I go down that street. You know, I've crossed that Avenue many times," said neighbor Peter Lawro.
Servedio was an avid cyclist, according to her profile on an exercise app.
"I was just looking at the memorial there it was very sad. There are lots of cyclists, it's a very pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, normally, my partner and I have lived here for a while now. We lived on 33rd Street prior and there are always cars just kind of racing by," neighbor Melissa Francisco said.
Authorities say this all started when officers tried to pull the driver of a Dodge Ram 1500 over for a burglary.
The driver fled from the officers, hit several police cars and surveillance video shows the truck slamming into Servedio at 37th Street and 34th Avenue sending her and her bike flying into the air.
The three people in the truck eventually ditched the car and fled.
Investigators say the license plate was covered, but it led them to an address on Staten Island.
Advocates with Transportation Alternatives say Servedio is the fifth person to be killed in a police pursuit so far this year.
"Police chases should absolutely not exist in New York City and they're against NYPD policy for a reason, and that's because when there are cars speeding down city streets, t's dangerous," said Alexa Sledge of Transportation Alternatives.
They say the loss of those 5 lives is proof of the deadly consequences.
"They don't keep us safe. Nothing that leads to the death of an innocent New Yorker is keeping New Yorkers safe. It's doing exactly the opposite. They need to end them now," Sledge said.
Zohran Kwame Mamdani, assembly member for the 36th district of the New York State Assembly, in Queens, commented on Servedio's death and police pursuits.
Records show the license plate on the truck has been tied to nearly 100 violations since 2022.
No one has been arrested.
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