Police Continue Search For Wrong-Way Driver In Queens Bar Owner's Death
NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- A wake was held Tuesday for a beloved Queens bar owner, who was killed over the weekend in a wrong-way crash.
George Gibbons, 37, closed up his "Gibbon's Home" bar in Maspeth early Saturday morning and jumped in a cab to go home. His cab had only gone a few blocks when a wrong-way driver crashed into the vehicle on the service road of the Long Island Expressway.
1010 WINS' Mona Rivera Speaks With The Victim's Sister
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The driver of the other vehicle fled the scene and police are now searching for that individual.
Gibbons was pronounced dead on arrival. His wake was being held in Middle Village. Family and friends are devastated by the loss of a man they said was so loved and cherished.
The victim's sister, Bernadette Gibbons, spoke with 1010 WINS' Mona Rivera and pleaded with the wrong-way driver to surrender.
"Turn yourself in because what are you gaining by living your life as a lie? You know, living your life knowing that you destroyed hundreds, thousands of lives because anyone that knew George loved him," she said. "Just come forward because we will find you."
Bernadette said her brother had few drinks with her and other family members before getting into the cab. She also grabbed a cab going home and it was the last time she saw him alive.
"I left five minutes before him and his taxi was outside when mine was and he just said 'alright, I'll talk to you tomorrow tough guy' -- that's what he called me," his sister said.
The cab driver was taken to Elmhurst Hospital.
A passenger in the wrong-way car also initially tried to run away before returning to the scene, the Post reported. That passenger was also treated at Elmhurst and was charged with possession of marijuana, the paper reported.
Carol D'Auria of 1010 WINS also confirmed that the owner of the wrong-way car was not the driver involved in the crash. D'Auria reported that police were able to track down the car owner and found out that the vehicle had been borrowed.
An article in the Post said the paper spoke with a Brooklyn woman who said she lent her car to a friend for a job interview, but she refused to identify the individual.
No arrests have been made so far and authorities are asking for the public's help in tracking down the individual.
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