A Jewish former staffer who worked for New York Governor Andrew Cuomo was hit and killed by an oncoming car on a highway after his rideshare driver allegedly kicked him out of the car.
The incident, in which Sydney Wolf, 42, of Clarksburg, Maryland, was struck by a vehicle after the passenger existed the Lyft car, took place on Delaware’s Coastal Highway early on Saturday, Fox News reported.
Wolf had worked as a senior policy advisor for Cuomo, his LinkedIn page said.
“Shocked & saddened to hear this tragic news. Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NY’ers. My heart goes out to Lindsey & his two young daughters,” Cuomo said on Twitter.
Wolf’s family issued a statement to FOX5 DC that it was "an extremely difficult time for our family."
"The level of shock and pain we feel right now cannot be measured as we continue to grieve," they said. "We truly appreciate the outpouring of love and support we’ve received and kindly request that the family’s privacy is respected as we move through this process."
According to Delaware State Police, the Lyft driver drove away after the crash and has not yet been identified.
The incident occurred at 1:44 a.m. on Saturday. Wolf and his friends hired a Lyft driver to drive them to a residence in Bethany Beach, Delaware, according to police.
After an argument took place between the Lyft driver and the passengers, the driver stopped in the middle of the highway and demanded that the six passengers exit the vehicle, police said.
A 27-year old driving a Toyota Corolla attempted to avoid the stopped rideshare vehicle, changing lanes. But he didn’t see Wolf who had already exited the car and ran him over.
Wolf was pronounced dead at the scene of the incident. No other passengers were reported injured.
According to police, the Corolla pulled over but the Lyft driver sped away in his vehicle.