Family and friends held an emotional vigil in the rain Sunday in honor of the 13-year-old boy who was struck and killed riding his bike through a Brooklyn intersection Friday.
Kevin Flores was hit by an oil truck near the corner of Jefferson and Lewis avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Police said the driver of the truck, Philip Monfoletto, had previously been arrested three times for driving without a license.
Flores died from his injuries a short time after the accident.
“This was a senseless act that should not have happened and could have been prevented,” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said at the vigil.
Family members wept and clutched a large, framed photo of Flores.
Adams said there should be tough penalties for both unlicensed drivers and owners of companies that knowingly allow drivers to operate vehicles without a license.
City Councilman Antonio Reynoso, who represents the Ridgewood neighborhood where Flores lived, said a bike lane would have saved the youngster’s life.
“(He) could have been on a bike lane safe coming from Bed Stuy to Ridgewood,” said Reynoso. “Instead he was riding next to trucks, buses and cars. A young man lost his life because we don’t have the infrastructure.”
Flores’ devastated mother, Margarita, said through a translator that she is seeking justice for her son and also asked for help from the community.
