A 35-year-old cyclist was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver in Williamsburg early Saturday morning. The victim has now been identified as one of the co-founders of Bikestock, which operates self-serve bike repair vending machines in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Massachusetts.
Friends told the Daily News that Matthew Von Ohlen had been headed home from a shift as a bartender at Apotheke in Manhattan when he was struck. Police say he was headed east on Grand Street near Graham Avenue in the bike lane when the driver of a black Chevy Camaro crashed into him around 2:20 a.m. Saturday.
The Post has graphic surveillance footage of the collision, which you can see below.
Von Ohlen suffered severe trauma to his body and was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. “He was killed like a dog in the street,” neighbor Joanne Bascetta, who left flowers at the site where he was struck, told the Daily News. "He’s someone’s child. It’s heartbreaking. I just came out for support. I feel so bad for the family."
Von Ohlen started Bikestock with partner Joseph Huba in 2013. Here's his bio from the company's website:
Matthew lives and breathes cycling. A Minneapolis native, Matthew was lucky to grow up with the city’s extensive greenway system, which connects the city’s many lakes and creeks with the Mississippi River. Having spent the last five years bartending and tour managing, you could say Matthew is a people person.
Matthew sees biking as a way to stay fit and to decrease his environmental impact, and is a strong advocate of year-round ridership. A Lawrence University graduate, Matthew has a B.A. in Anthropology, and is currently a mixologist at New York City’s celebrated Apotheke.
"I loved Matt like a brother," Huba told The Post. "It’s really, really, really tough to lose someone like that."
Police add that the investigation is ongoing.
