Naftaly Ramirez (Instagram/paulie123)
Aug. 14, 2017 By Jason Cohen
The garbage truck driver who mowed down a cyclist in July and fled the scene will not be charged because police believe it’s not clear that he knew he hit anyone.
On July 22, Neftaly Ramirez, 27, was riding along Franklin Street at around 12:30 a.m. when he was fatally struck by a green garbage truck near the intersection of Noble Street.
An NYPD spokesman said it is often difficult to press charges if drivers are not aware they hit anyone. However, both the NYPD and Brooklyn District Attorney’s office are still investigating the incident.
The garbage truck company, Action Carting, which is based in Newark, N.J., has been involved in several accidents leading to the death of pedestrian and cyclists, according to published reports. In 2008, one of its trucks killed two tourists in Manhattan, reported the NY times, and in 2010, another hit a cyclist in East Williamsburg, reported Brooklyn News.
Then In April 2011, a driver with Action backed over and killed an 83-year-old war veteran who was walking behind the vehicle on York Avenue in the Upper East Side, reported the NYTimes. The company has been subject to several civil suits filed by injured pedestrians and motorists.
