Police Say Rapper Nicki Minaj's Father Killed By Hit-And-Run Driver In Mineola
MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) — The 64-year-old father of rapper Nicki Minaj has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver on Long Island, police said.
Nassau County police said Robert Maraj was walking on Roslyn Road near Raff Avenue in Mineola at around 6:15 p.m. on Friday when a car struck him and kept on going.
Maraj was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead Saturday.
CBS2 spoke to a neighbor who lives right in front of where the crash happened.
"We just saw a jacket ripped open, cut open, trying to make sure the man had a pulse," the neighbor said. "All I hoped for was the person to have a pulse and survive. I'm speechless. I don't know what to say."
Police are asking any witnesses to the fatal crash to come forward.
Minaj, 38, was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and was raised in Queens. She has not made any public statement about her father's death.
(© Copyright 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)