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Elderly Jogger Struck and Killed by Cyclist in Central Park, Police Say

By Trevor Kapp | August 14, 2014 11:04am
 An elderly jogger training for the New York City Marathon was struck and killed by a bicylist in Central Park.
An elderly jogger training for the New York City Marathon was struck and killed by a bicylist in Central Park.
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Flickr/ James Willamor

CENTRAL PARK — A 75-year-old jogger was fatally struck by a bicyclist in Central Park while training for the New York City Marathon, police and relatives said.

Irving Schachter was jogging near the East Drive Loop at 72nd Street just before 5 p.m. Aug. 3 when he was mowed down by a bicyclist, a law enforcement official said.

Schachter's wife, Hindy Schachter, wrote in an online post that the biker who hit him was 17 years old and had swerved from the bike lane into the pedestrian lane. He was not charged, police said.

The senior athlete was rushed to Cornell Hospital, where he died two days later, police said.

Schachter, of the Upper East Side, ran about three times a week and was also a passionate cyclist, according to the online post by his wife, who recounted taking rides together "à deux, as husband and wife."

“He loved cycling and I’m glad that so many cyclists enjoyed riding with him,” she posted on New York Cycle Club's message board.

She warned both bike riders and drivers to be cautious.

“Many of us see cyclists as potential victims of cars. And we are,” she posted. “The city still needs to do much more to secure our safety on Manhattan’s streets."

"But we are also potential predators," Schachter added. "One careless move on a bike and we can take down a runner, a walker, a child skipping along. As we want car drivers to be alert to our rights, so too we must act to protect the rights of other people."