The CCTV video of Councilwoman-at-large Amy DeGise’s collision with a bicyclist last week has been released.
The hit-and-run accident, which took place last Tuesday in which DeGise is seen driving away after hitting a bicyclist as he rides through an intersection on Martin Luther King Boulevard, has sent tremors throughout the Jersey City and Hudson County Democratic establishments.
For several years, DeGise has been a rising star in Hudson County politics. The daughter of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise, the former teacher served on the Jersey City Board of Education, as the Chairwoman of the Hudson County Democratic Organization and was elected to an at-large seat on the Jersey City Municipal Council last year after joining Mayor Fulop’s slate. She has been mentioned as a possible mayoral candidate should Mayor Fulop step down to run for governor, as many expect.
The cyclist, 29-year-old Andrew Black, told HudPost, which broke the story last week, that he had been badly bruised and had ongoing anxiety crossing the street as a result of the crash.
Black told HudPost that he “had the right of way” as he entered the intersection. However, the video seems to show that in fact, he went through a red light, passing cars that were stopped and waiting for the light to turn green.
DeGise was issued a summons for leaving the scene of an accident. Yesterday, Mayor Fulop criticized her decision to do so.
Local activists have questioned whether DeGise received preferential treatment by virtue of her political connections.
