Grandfather Left To Die On Brooklyn Street After Hit-And-Run, Search For Driver Continues
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A man who was apparently changing his tire in Brooklyn was struck and left for dead; leaving his loved ones devastated and police searching for a hit-and-run driver.
Grief-stricken friends and family gathered at the home of 65-year-old Losif Morgenshteyn Monday; his family was unable to address the tragedy.
"They not ready to talk. They can't," one person told CBS2's Scott Rapoport.
Police say the deadly incident happened on Shore Parkway at East 28th Street in Sheepshead Bay around 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Authorities say Morgenshteyn had pulled over and was changing a tire when he was fatally struck by a white minivan.
Even worse, police say the vehicle that hit the 65-year-old actually stopped and three people got out to check on him. The group then got back in the minivan, leaving Morgenshteyn on the ground and drove away.
Officers say the group did not call 911.
MORE: NYPD Searching For Driver Of Minivan In Fatal Hit-And-Run
A family friend told CBS2 the victim's wife is shattered and could not come to the door.
People in the neighborhood who knew the victim simply as Joe described him as a loving father and grandfather.
"That's horrible. I feel he was a very nice man. I feel very sorry for the family. He was a lovely nice man," neighbor Fran Hellenbusch said.
The hit-and-run vehicle - a 2014 white Toyota Sienna with Pennsylvania license plates - was discovered here at Emmons Avenue and Bragg Street, about a mile away from the crash site.
Police sources tell CBS2 they've questioned two men who they believe were passengers in the minivan, but added that neither were charged with a crime and later released.
The search for the driver is still ongoing.
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call the NYPD's Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or 1-888-57-PISTA (74782) for Spanish. The public can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers website, on Twitter @NYPDTips or by texting them to 274637 (CRIMES) then enter TIP577.