The life of a 104-year-old Coney Island man whom acquaintances called "the model of health" came to a fast an unfortunate end, after he was hit by a van yesterday. Joe Rollino was a former-boxer and a lifelong vegetarian who was as sound of mind as of body. “If he told me he was 75, I would have said he looked great for his age,” said a retired NYPD detective who knew Rollino. “When he started shadow boxing, I couldn’t believe my eyes.” There's no telling how much longer he could have lasted— his phenomenal physical condition was even the subject of a study.
Just last year The Sweet Science published a profile of Rollino, who was known as "Kid Dundee" in his boxing days. He was a lightweight, but always incredibly fit. Over a century old, he had all of his own teeth, ate oatmeal every morning and walked several miles during the day. He even swam in the ocean 3-4 times a week year-round with the Coney Island Iceberg Athletic Club. "There's not a person from here to Bay Ridge who doesn't know him," his friend Eileen Bille told the Daily News.
The minivan hit the strongman on Bay Ridge Parkway, which he crossed every morning to go buy a newsaper. "This morning he was bright and friendly like every morning," said deli owner Victor Oh. He was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center around 7 am and died shortly after. Police questioned the woman behind the wheel of the Ford Windstar, who was not drunk or driving recklessly according to the New York Post, but have not charged her with any crime.
