Vigil held in Bay Ridge for victims of last week's U-Haul truck rampage
NEW YORK -- It has been a week of healing for Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, since a driver went on a deadly rampage behind the wheel of a U-Haul truck.
During a vigil on Monday night, neighbors pushed for unity and support as they work to move forward.
Dozens of tiny flames flickered at Bay Ridge Parkway and 5th Avenue, each illuminating a face in mourning.
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Community members organized the vigil at the very intersection where YiJie Ye, a single father of three, was killed after a man struck him with a U-Haul truck.
"His American dream was not supposed to end on this street corner. The American dream of his children was not supposed to end in a nightmare on this street corner," state Sen. Andrew Gounardes said.
The group gathered not just to mourn the loss of Ye, but to support the eight other people injured in the rampage. That includes Mohammed Rakchi, who was in a medically induced coma.
"It's so hard. It's so hard," said his wife, Nadjet Tchenar.
At the vigil, Tchenar said he is showing some signs of improvement, but is still heavily sedated.
"My kids keep asking, where's dad?" Tchenar said.
Police say the person who was behind the wheel is 62-year-old Weng Sor.
"This person was experiencing some real mental health issues," Mayor Eric Adams said.
When the mayor was asked what the city can do to help prevent similar tragedies, he said in the next few weeks it will announce a new phase in its plan to address mental health issues.
"It's not humane to allow people to exist in conditions that they are a danger to themselves and others, and we need to focus on that," Adams said.
Adams and Gounardes used the vigil to highlight concerns about traffic safety in the city. The tragedy caused a lot of broken hearts, but it's also motivating people to call for safer streets.