By Nicholas Rizzi
Special to DNAinfo
STATEN ISLAND — The family of the Staten Island bicyclist who was killed Sunday night by a hit-and-run driver in Grymes Hill said Monday they were shocked the driver fled the scene.
Ron Tillman, 29, a nursing student at Wagner College, was biking home from school Sunday night when he was mowed down by a brown SUV. Police are still searching for the driver.
"We’re still mulling over the fact that somebody could just hit somebody and drive off and not stop," his aunt, Joan Snihur, said.
Tillman, a Syracuse native, moved from Bay Ridge to Staten Island when he started at Wagner in September. He previously graduated from Brooklyn College with a degree in film studies, but decided he wanted to switch professions and become a nurse.
"He was just so kind and good to everybody," Snihur said. "That was why he was in the nursing program. He loved helping people and he really found his calling."
Former neighbors of Tillman remember him as a pleasant, polite man.
"He was a very nice kid," said Maria Aiello, 57, who lives next door to Tillman’s old apartment in Bay Ridge. "Very hospitable, a lot of respect. He was just a really nice guy."
In his spare time, Tillman enjoyed athletic activities, especially biking and running, his aunt said.
He had a very strong relationship with his mother, Nancy, and has an older sister, Kristen Mathieson, 35, who lives in Australia. He also has three half siblings.
Snihur, who last saw her nephew at Christmastime, said he would always be remembered for his sense of humor and personality.
"What a great person,” Snihur said about Tillman. “Great personality, always one to make the jokes."
