Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has weighed in on the death of a former staffer who washit by a car after police say he was ordered out of a Lyft near Dewey Beach over the weekend.
In a Wednesday afternoon tweet sharing a GoFundMe page created for the family of 43-year-old Sid Wolf, Cuomo called the incident “an unspeakable tragedy.”
He said the former staffer, who he described as a “phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NY’ers” left behind a wife and two young daughters.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the page had already raised nearly $70,000.
The bizarre incident, which leaves many outstanding questions, occurred just before 1:45 a.m. on Sunday morning when Wolf and five friends hired a Lyft driver to pick them up in Dewey Beach and drive them to a home in Bethany Beach, according to Delaware State Police.
As the driver headed south on Route 1, a “disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft operator,” Delaware State Police said. As a result, the driver ended the ride and stopped in the middle of the left lane. The driver then demanded all six passengers get out of the car, police said.
As this was occurring, a 27-year-old driving a Toyota Corolla drove toward the stopped Lyft, which police said was “possibly a white Honda Pilot.”
WHAT HAPPENED:Lyft drive from Dewey Beach turns deadly after disagreement ends with rider fatally hit
The 27-year-old changed lanes to avoid hitting the car but didn’t see Wolf, who had just gotten out of the right rear passenger seat, police said. The driver hit Wolf, killing him.
The Lyft then fled, police said. None of the other five passengers were injured.
As of mid-morning on Sunday, police had not identified the driver of the Lyft. While a Monday news release gave Wolf’s name, it provided no additional information.
Delaware State Police also did not immediately respond to Delaware Online/The News Journal’s inquiry Wednesday afternoon as to whether there were any updates to the case, including the driver’s identity.
Given ride-sharing applications like Lyft and Uber track ride requests and trips, as well as keep information about drivers and their cars, many questions about the incident remain unanswered.
The GoFundMe can be found at gofundme.com/f/sid-wolf-and-his-family.
Got a story tip or idea? Send to Isabel Hughes at ihughes@delawareonline.com. For all things breaking news, follow her on Twitter at @izzihughes_