New Jersey councilwoman rejects calls to resign after video shows her hit cyclist without stopping

A video which has gone viral online shows New Jersey Councilwoman Amy DeGise hit a cyclist at an intersection before allegedly leaving the scene. The video shows DeGise hit cyclist Andrew Black with her car at 8am on July 19th, causing him to jolt up in the air before hitting the ground, according to Hudpost.

“I look left, suddenly I just hear ‘Ba[m].’ I get hit,” said Black, who is an UberEats deliveryman. “I roll over and I’m in such pain.” Black was able to stand up only seconds after the collision, however his bike, which was severely damaged, was at the opposite end of the street.

Black said he had right of way, however WNBC have disputed this and said that Black did not have the green light to go. DeGise, however, is under pressure to resign as she did leave the crash scene. 

“[That] someone of prestige would fall to a point where they would ignore the law they are demanding to uphold, and they are trying to clean our streets or whatever they are calling it, they can’t even do it themselves — that really upsets me,” Black said during an interview with Hudpost.

DeGise’s spokesman, Phil Swibinski, has released a statement. “Councilwoman DeGise was elected overwhelmingly just a few months ago and she has no intention of walking away from the commitment she made to serve the people of Jersey City. She will not resign and plans to complete her full term and continue in public service,” Swibinski said, per Fox News.

He added, “Amy recognizes the calls that have been made for additional information and transparency. She would very much like to address this situation more comprehensively, but there is a legal process that must play out first and she will not be making any additional public comment at this time.”

The statement continued, “As she has said previously, she is thankful that no one was seriously injured and she fully intends to speak out more when the legal process is concluded. She will continue working hard to serve the people who elected her, just as she has since she was inaugurated in January.”

Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop said that regardless of who was at fault, leaving the scene of the accident was “a tremendous mistake.” Fulop said, “She should certainly not have left the scene of that crash. That was a tremendous mistake she made. I’m happy she took some responsibility for that, although it doesn’t correct what she did.”

Councilman Frank Gilmore also took aim at DeGise, saying: “Past being elected it’s a living human being, it was really hard for me to witness that. It’s a matter of public trust, it’s a matter of respect, it’s a matter of human decency.”

Social media users took to DeGise’s Twitter page to criticize her. Some demanded DeGise’s immediate resignation. Others noted that whilst the cyclist was in the wrong, leaving the scene was not appropriate.