A vigil for Xing Long Lin (pictured), who was killed by a driver in Astoria, will be held on the one-year anniversary of his death Friday (GoFundMe)
April 26, 2022 by Allie Griffin
A group of Astoria residents and transportation advocates are hosting a candlelight vigil Friday on the one-year anniversary of the death of Elmhurst delivery worker Xing Long Lin.
Lin, a 37-year-old Chinese immigrant, husband and father of two, was killed by a driver who plowed into him as well as an outdoor dining setup in Astoria on April 29, 2020. He was driving his scooter along 35th Street to make deliveries for an area restaurant at the time of his death.
Local residents and transportation safety advocates will meet at the site of the crash, on 35th Street at Ditmars Boulevard, at 6 p.m. Friday to honor Lin’s memory.
They also plan to call for justice for Lin, according to an email announcing the vigil.
Advocates said the 60-year-old woman who fatally struck Lin with her car was driving “recklessly” at the time of the crash and should be held accountable for his death.
Initial police reports stated that the woman was allegedly speeding down 35th Street in her 2013 Mercedes Benz C-300 when she careened into the bike lane where she fatally struck Lin. Her car then continued going, hit two parked cars and slammed into an outdoor dining set-up outside Rosatoro Restaurant, where it finally came to a rest.
The outdoor seating area where the crash took place on Ditmars Boulevard and 35th Street in Astoria. (Photo: Christina Santucci)
The vigil organizers will demand Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz — who decided against criminally charging the driver in November — to reopen the case against her.
Katz’s office said it had found “insufficient evidence” to prosecute the woman, according to a memo the office released on Nov. 15.
Both the DA and the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad conducted several-month-long investigations and said they found no proof of criminal intent or behavior leading up to the crash, the memo states.
Their investigations found that the woman’s car was struck from behind by another vehicle on 35th Street before she accelerated and crashed into Lin, the parked cars and the outdoor dining structure.
The District Attorney’s office said that the crash may have been caused by a car malfunction or the woman making an error.
Advocates criticized Katz’s decision at the time and will once again call for accountability at the vigil Friday.
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13 Comments
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2021/11/23/queens-da-declines-to-prosecute-driver-who-killed-delivery-man/
The initial story said so!!! Her car had damage to it’s rear end!!
To Quote Star Wars… IT CAME FROM BEHIND!!!
Is it ever an accident or a non bias crime when an Asian is a victim?
It sure is, if you scroll up you can read a whole article which is an example.
It says it may have been an accident (“car malfunction or the woman making an error”) and “bias” is never mentioned.
You can stop being pretending to be offended now ?
That no one remembers she was rear-ended!
The article you’re commenting on says “the woman’s car was struck from behind.” Do you need smaller words?
Outside dining and open streets has made Ditmars Blvd more dangerous for the surrounding neighborhood. Scary to think what will happen once all those smoke shops on ditmars and 23 ave start selling weed more openly.
Jill – Open streets and outside dining have made nothing more dangerous. Reckless drivers have made the streets more dangerous like this driver did. “ the 60-year-old woman who fatally struck Lin with her car was driving “recklessly” at the time of the crash and should be held accountable for his death.” Tell us how outside dining and open streets has made things more dangerous. If it’s that hard for you to provide a little extra attention and precaution when you’re driving your car, then maybe you lack the skills to be behind the wheel.
Sounds like the authorities are making excuses for the reckless female driver.
Criticizing a woman’s driving is misogynistic.
The driver who was behind the wheel of the car that slammed into him. WAS REAR-ENDED, causing her to careen into him.
Or… Was that you who drove into her???
Cars are weapons. People who use them to kill need to be put away.
BEHIND her???