A 62-year-old man walking with a cane was killed crossing the street in front of his Queens home when a hit-and-run driver struck him and a second driver then ran him over, cops said Wednesday.
Christopher Gayton was just outside his South Jamaica home when a driver zipping east on Linden Blvd. slammed into him near 166th St. about 8:45 p.m. Thursday and kept going, cops said.
A 49-year-old man driving a 2024 Ford Edge then ran into the victim, cops said. Gayton died the next day at Jamaica Hospital.
“Today is a sad day. We lost a brother, father, son, uncle, and cousin. [He] has been snuffed from us by a hit and runner driver,” a relative wrote on Facebook Friday. “He was just crossing the street to get home.”
Japneet Signh, who is running for city council in Southeastern Queens, posted graphic video on Instagram of Gayton lying in the road, writing that he witnessed the hit-and-run on his way to a meeting.
“It felt so surreal witnessing a hit and run crash in front of my eyes,” he wrote. “I saw an elderly [man] with a cane get ran over twice. It was so horrific.”
The Ford driver remained at the scene and has not been charged. Cops are still hunting for the driver who fled the scene.
“We will miss you forever,” the relative wrote on Facebook. “Your laugh, calm personality.”
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