A driver who killed a pedestrian Tuesday evening on the Bowery has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Cops said 24-year-old Danny Lin of Brooklyn was traveling north in a 2001 BMW sedan at speeds in excess of 50 mph when he struck Robert Perry, who was a regular resident at the Bowery Mission for the past three years. The street is a 25 mph slow zone. Lin fled the scene after crashing into a fire hydrant at Stanton Street.
The Bowery Mission has released the following statement:
At the beginning of Thanksgiving Week, The Bowery Mission has suffered a sudden tragedy… 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.” Tonight, we remember Robert not as a “homeless man,” but as a child of God, with a name, a story, and gifts to offer the world. We are attempting to contact Robert’s family in New Jersey, and we are planning a memorial for Robert after Thanksgiving. Robert’s sudden passing strengthens our resolve to offer hope to thousands of New Yorkers in need during our 135th Thanksgiving celebration this week.
Perry was 57.
This is such a sad story. I hope the judge throws the book at that little punk Danny Lin.
Thank you Bowery Mission for filing in our picture of one of our neighbors, one of us. Thanks Ed and Traven. Always, for remembering the important stories of our community.
I knew Robert Perry (Slim) for years.