Family Of Queens Man Alexander Martinez, Begs For Hit And Run Driver To Come Forward
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The family of a Queens man who was killed in a hit and run on his birthday is making a desperate plea for his killer to come forward.
Alexander Martinez was riding his bike to work on Tuesday from his family's home on 89th Street in Jamaica to Long Island City. He was riding on Queens Boulevard when he was struck and killed by a vehicle that was merging from the Van Wyck Expressway, according to authorities.
Martinez' mother, Martha Cortez, was getting ready to bake her son a cake when she was told that he had been killed.
"Oh my son, I feel terrible, the way he died," she told CBS 2's Weijia Jiang.
His father, Walter, was left with nothing but questions over the death of his son.
"The kids are supposed to bury their parents, not the other way around. That's what really bothers me. Why did it happen? Why?" he said.
In the wake of Alexander's death his family is asking for improved safety on Queens roadways.
"Obviously at the construction site there were no accommodations made for bike lanes, so there are several, several things that need to be looked at," said George Martinez, the victim's brother.
They are also asking for his killer to come forward.
"Please, please, why he got to run away? He could say I'm sorry or something, but he run away," said his tearful mother.
Finding out who killed Alexander Martinez may help bring some closure to his family, his wife, and his two children.
"We just need closure. We need to find this guy, for all of us. We need closure," said his wife, Joyce.
Martinez had been staying with his parents in Queens, where he had recently started a new job. He was planning to go home to Florida to celebrate his birthday with his wife and children.
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