A new change.org petition is calling for Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Amy DeGise to resign over her July 19th hit-and-run following the release of CCTV footage of the incident.
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“Video footage shows us she made no effort to avoid the cyclist, to slow down after impact, or to stop to check on him and file a police report. The cyclist running the red light does not change anything about DeGise’s responsibility to the victim and to the law,” the petition, started by resident Megan Carolan, says.
“Councilmember DeGise should have resigned as soon as this news came out. She must resign now and the Mayor and councilmembers must call publically [sic] for her resignation … I am disgusted that other Councilmembers and the Mayor – who ran DeGise on his slate in this most recent election – have not encouraged her resignation.”
The petition started late last night and initially sought 200 signatures, but after hitting that number, the threshold has been increased to 500.
Jersey City Ward E Councilman James Solomon came out as the first elected official asking for DeGise to resign or get recalled this morning, stating he was “horrified by the video” and that while she should have her day in court, in should be as a private citizen.
The CCTV footage shows the councilwoman hitting an Uber Eats bicyclist at about 8 a.m.
DeGise did not stop or appear hit her brakes after she hit Andrew Black, who seemingly ran a red light, at the intersection of Martin Luther King Drive and Forrest Street, the video shows.
As of this writing, she has said little about the incident beyond that she is glad no one was seriously injured, declining to comment further due to her pending court case.
Make her resign and lock her up if it was a private citizen we would be in jail already she’s not above the law
And fulop should be investagated also for not doing anything about this right away
Chester, if it were a private citizen, they’d have been given a sobriety test and if negative, arraigned and released on bail or ROR (yeah, I watch Law and Order).
As for the Mayor, there’s not a lot he can do other than counsel and or persuade the councilwoman. The council is a separate, co-equal branch of government, which he does not control. But given that it is an ongoing case, I don’t foresee any formal action – censure or expulsion – for the time being, as it would certainly be deemed prejudicial to a court case.
In addition, the hit and run law is likely a state statute, again which the Mayor has no control.
The councilwoman’s fate and future is up to public outrage, legal proceedings, and her conscience.