Sixers Top Draft Pick Simmons' Cousin Killed In New Jersey Hit-And-Run
HOBOKEN, N.J. (CBS) —The cousin of Ben Simmons, who was picked first by the Philadelphia 76ers in the NBA draft, has died after being struck by a hit-and-run driver in New Jersey.
Twenty-one-year-old Zachary Simmons died after being struck by a black SUV around 3:30 a.m. Saturday while crossing at an intersection in Hoboken. Authorities say the vehicle that struck him fled the scene.
Zachary's mother, Monique Steele said her son had gone with Simmons to the NBA draft earlier in the week. She said he was walking back from a friend's birthday party when he was struck and killed.
"They told me that the car was going at least 70 miles per hour," Steele told CBS 2. "To be speeding enough to kill my child is beyond me."
Police released a surveillance image and were looking the fleeing vehicle, a black Cadillac Escalade, Yukon, or Tahoe which may have New York plates.
Ben Simmons posted a photo Saturday night on Twitter showing him standing with his cousin. The caption read: "#ripZacharySimmons."