Jersey City councilwoman not resigning after hitting cyclist
NEW JERSEY - A Jersey City councilwoman has no plans to resign after allegedly smashing into a bicyclist in an intersection in an apparent hit-and-run accident.
Councilwoman Amy DeGise was cited for failure to report an accident and leaving the scene of an accident after the incident at the intersection of Forrest Street and Martin Luther King Drive around 8 a.m. on July 19.
Traffic camera video released by city officials shows the black SUV hitting the man and not stopping.
Click here to see the full video (warning--graphic)
A police report states that the cyclist, 29-year-old Andrew Black, thought he had a green light and was crossing when the car hit him. The video released by authorities shows that the light was red when he rode into the intersection.
He hit the windshield and was flipped off of the bike but was somehow not seriously injured. The video shows him slowly getting up and limping to the sidewalk.
He left his mangled bike on the opposite side of the street.
A spokesperson for DeGise told news outlets on Friday that the councilwoman would not resign.
"Councilwoman DeGise was elected overwhelmingly just a few months ago and she has no intention of walking away from the commitment she made to serve the people of Jersey City. She will not resign and plans to complete her full term and continue in public service," DeGise's spokesman, Phil Swibinski, said in a statement.
Black has set up a GoFundMe to pay for his expenses including buying a new bicycle. He had raised more than $4,000 by Monday morning.