Safe Streets JC & Bike JC on Amy DeGise: ‘It is never acceptable to leave the scene of a crash’

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Advocacy groups Safe Streets JC and Bike JC are reacting to a hit-and-run incident involving Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Amy DeGise: “It is never acceptable to leave the scene of a crash.”

Jersey City Councilwoman-at-Large Amy DeGise. Facebook photo.

By John Heinis/Hudson County View

“No matter the circumstances or outcomes, all hit-and-runs deserve the utmost condemnation. It is never acceptable to leave the scene of a crash. It is not only criminal—it reduces the chance someone injured gets timely, possibly life-saving aid,” they said in a joint statement released late this morning.

“In this incident, reportedly a cyclist was heading south on MLK Drive, with a green light and the right of way, when Councilwoman DeGise, driving east in an SUV, hit him, and then left the scene. The cyclist was subsequently taken to Jersey City Medical Center to treat his injuries. The public deserves a full accounting from those involved and thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding this and every crash.”

They also thanked the Jersey City police officers at the West District for quickly retrieving footage and identifying the driver, calling on them to release release any related video footage to the public.

Furthermore, the organizations noted that there were two fatal hit-and-runs in Jersey City back in November, along with a third one where a victim suffered life-threatening injuries but managed to recover.

Safe Streets JC and Bike JC also called on DeGise to do better.

“An elected leader must do better by their constituents. Just as everyone else should, they must remain at the scene and render assistance to the injured. No one is above the law.”

DeGise, who was elected in November and has also served as the chair of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and as a board of education trustee, has said little about the incident thus far, noting that it is a pending court case.

“I acknowledge this unfortunate event yesterday and I’m thankful that no one was seriously hurt. While the traffic summons that was issued is dealt with in court I will not be able to make any additional comment at this time,” she said in a statement yesterday.


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3 COMMENTS

  1. John – previous coverage made it sound like Ms. DeGise called in to report the accident.and ID’d herself. This makes it sound like she was ID’d from video and if she called in it was probably an effort to do damage control after she heard she had been ID’d.

    Any idea which it was? Either scenario is pretty bad but if she “called it in” only because she knew she had been caught it’s far worse. And it raises the question of who have her the heads up.

    • I don’t have any additional details at this time, sorry. Hopefully the city’s response to my public records request will provide further clarity.

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