Bay Ridge residents are banding together to help the family of neighbor Segundo Reina-Gaon after he was identified as the victim of a fatal hit-and-run crash on Sept. 11.
Reina-Gaon, 74, was crossing Ridge Boulevard on Bay Ridge Avenue when he was struck by the driver of a white SUV, pushing him into another parked car. The driver fled, and Reina-Gaon was rushed to NYU Langone-Brooklyn, where he was pronounced dead.
Yessica Rivera created a GoFundMe campaign to support Reina-Gaon’s family. Reina-Goan was a father to five children and a grandfather to 20.
“We thank the community of Bay Ridge [for] the love and support that has been given to us in these most difficult times,” a note on the campaign from Rivera reads. “This leaves us with some good feelings that our father was a loved man by many people in the community of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Let’s not forget him and remember his life and his contributions as we celebrate his life spiritually.”
So far, the community has raised more than $6,000 toward a $15,000 goal.
“Ignacio was a kind and loving man,” wrote one local donor. “Our dog, Cooper, would see Ignacio on many mornings and I don’t know who was more excited.”
Local officials have also spoken out in support of the family.
“My understanding from speaking to some local Bay Ridge residents is that he worked locally, and he has family in Ecuador and they are really struggling financially to make his final arrangements,” Community Board 10 District Manager Josephine Beckmann told Brooklyn Paper. “And, you know, he was a wonderful family man who was very supportive. And he’ll be very much missed.”
Bay Ridge has seen several traffic collisions at notably dangerous intersections over the last few months, with some ending in fatalities.
Council Member Justin Brannan and State Sen. Andrew Gounardes — who both posted on X in support of Reina-Gaon’s family — have advocated for increased red light cameras in the area. Senator Gounardes sponsored a bill in June to quadruple the city’s red light camera program, which passed the State Senate.
Police have not released any additional information about the SUV’s driver. At a council meeting for the neighborhood’s 68th Precinct last Wednesday, Commanding Officer Kristen Schafer said the case was “still under investigation.”