Only 1 to 5 Years in Jail for Driver Who Hit, Killed Homeless Man on Lower East Side

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — The driver of a BMW who struck and killed a 57-year-old pedestrian crossing the Bowery in November 2014 was sentenced to just 21 months to 5 years in prison, around just half of what the prosecutors had argued for, the Manhattan attorney general's office announced Monday. The DA had said the driver, Danny Lin, faced up to 15 years in prison for his crime.

Lin, 25, was going 55 miles per hour in a 25 mile per hour zone down the Bowery when he fatally struck Robert Perry, who went flying into the air 140 feet before landing on the ground, according to the DA's office. Perry was crossing the Bowery near Rivington Street at 7 p.m.

After striking Perry, Lin drove onto the sidewalk and crashed into a fire hydrant, coming close to other pedestrians. Perry was taken to the hospital, where he died less than an hour later.

Lin, who was indicted in 2015, was found guilty of manslaughter in the second degree.

Patch reached out to The Bowery Mission, which said that Perry was a frequent resident, for a comment on Lin's sentence. We will update when we hear back. The Bowery Mission released this statement shortly after his death:

The news may report that a "homeless man" was killed in a hit-and-run accident. It is true that Robert struggled with homelessness most of life, from the age of 12. Because he spent many days and nights at The Bowery Mission, we got to know Robert as a gifted man with a difficult story. Robert was a faithful participant in The Bowery Mission's chapel services and activities. Most recently, Robert was a charter member of The Bowery Mission’s photography club, producing haunting photographs taken from his life's perspective. In his artist's statement, Robert reminded us, "I want people to hear my story, hear my cry… We are looked at like dirt, but we are somebody."

Photo credit: Shutterstock