Queens Man Desperately Searches For Hit-And-Run Driver Who Killed His Mom
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A young doctor from Queens is so determined to find the hit-and-run driver responsible for his mother's death, he's conducting his own investigation.
CBS2's Jessica Moore spoke with him and his grieving father Wednesday.
"On Sunday, he bring me Romanian soup. Very nice," said Radislav Krstic as he fought back tears while reading his wife's words, written from her hospital bed just hours before she died Sunday. "She went to buy bread, and that's (what) happened."
On July 1, a trip to the grocery store turned tragic when Drags Krstic was hit by a car near Myrtle Avenue and 60th Street, just a few blocks from their home in Ridgewood, Queens. The driver never stopped, and two weeks later, she died from internal injuries.
"You put her in any group of people, she's the life of the party," said her son, Luka Krstic.
Luka said he turned his anger into action, determined to get justice for his mother.
He wasn't waiting for police to do the legwork. He went door-to-door to every business along Myrtle Avenue, searching for surveillance video that would help catch his mom's killer.
"I was afraid local businesses only save video footage for a limited amount of time," he said. "I understand the police have lots of cases."
His search was a success. A nearby grocery store and pizzeria captured clear shots of the silver Nissan Sentra speeding down Myrtle Avenue seconds before the crash.
"It was clear that was the car, because the right mirror was broken. That's the part that hit my mom's hip," he said.
Luka said detectives thanked him for giving them a head start into their investigation and promised not to stop until they find the driver.
"Give yourself a chance to be a decent human being," he said.
He hopes the person behind the wheel will come forward on their own, so his family can finally begin to heal.