Rally Rescheduled In Jersey City After Boy, 6, Dies On Bike

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A week after a 6-year-old Jersey City boy was fatally struck by a delivery while riding his bicycle in Jersey City, residents are organizing a rally for safer streets, and some have placed signs around the boy's neighborhood in support of traffic calming measures.

Residents were initially planning to rally for safer streets at City Hall on Monday night, but have now moved the rally to Wednesday, from 5-6 p.m. an organizer said. Those who attend can choose whether to stay afterward for the council meeting.

Organizers listed demands on a poster: Deliver on Vision Zero, harden safety infrastructure, lower citywide speed limit to 20 mph, increase traffic enforcement, and obtain emergency funding for infrastructure.

On Friday, June 13, young Eli Bender, 6, was struck and killed by a delivery van while he was riding his bike with his dad, a block from their home.

A police spokesperson said he was struck by a vehicle at the intersection of Sixth Street and Jersey Avenue. He was pronounced dead minutes later, at 4:03 p.m.

He is survived by his parents and a younger brother, an infant, according to his obituary. Services were held last Thursday.

The local community groups Bike JC and SafeStreets JC held a community vigil last Sunday "for our young neighbor who was killed on his bicycle."

Residents of the area have complained drivers roll through stop signs and that too many vehicles block crosswalks on the narrow streets.

In Friday's incident, the delivery driver remained at the scene. The police spokesperson said no charges had been filed as of Friday.

The petition says, "As concerned parents and local business owners, we are calling on city officials to take immediate action to improve pedestrian safety on Newark Avenue near The Little Gym and up towards Dickinson High School. This stretch of road is heavily trafficked and dangerously sloped, encouraging drivers to speed up as they go up and down the hill. This presents a clear and urgent danger to the many children and families who live, play, walk, and commute in the area every day.

"Despite previous requests for speed bumps and other traffic-calming measures, the city has failed to implement changes. On 6th Street and Jersey Avenue, just blocks away, a child was tragically struck and killed by a UPS truck. This devastating event has shaken our community to its core."

The petitioners have asked for the city to:

1. Install speed bumps on Newark Avenue between Dickinson High School and The Little Gym.
2. Conduct a comprehensive traffic safety review of the corridor.
3. Engage the community in a transparent discussion about long-term pedestrian safety improvements.

Find out more about the rally here.

PRIOR REPORTING: Boy On Bicycle Fatally Struck In Jersey City Friday