MARINERS HARBOR — A nurse who'd just been offered a new job in Brooklyn was heading home to Staten Island when she was hit and killed by a car, police and her family said.
Sokhna Niang, 49, had successfully interviewed and had the spent the evening studying for a nursing exam with friends in Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, her brother-in-law Adam Faye said.
As the mother-of-one made her way home at 9 p.m. Monday she was hit by a southbound Infiniti as she crossed in front of 450 Flatbush Avenue, on a stretch that runs alongside Prospect Park between Grand Army Plaza and Empire Boulevard, police said.
The driver didn't stop but later returned to the scene, an NYPD spokesman said.
"She was very happy" after getting the job, said Faye, 49. He didn't know which organization she'd interviewed with.
After studying, Faye said that Niang was headed to her own car that was parked on Flatbush Avenue when she was hit.
Her husband of nearly 34-years was so distraught over Niang's death that he hasn't been able to eat or talk since he heard, Faye said.
"He can't even swallow anything," he said. "He can't even talk."
Niang's 24-year-old daughter, who is studying in France, was on her way to Africa to do volunteer work when she heard about her mother's death. She was on her way to the U.S. Tuesday, Faye said.
Faye described Niang as a warm person who always opened up her Van Name Avenue home to her family and the African Muslim community of Staten Island for holidays and gatherings.
"She was the cement in our community," Faye said. "There's not a lot of us on Staten Island and she always worked towards getting people together."
After news of her death spread, Faye said members of the community had been turning up at the family's home since 4 a.m. offering commiserations.
He said the Senegalese native, who came to America nearly 18 years ago, enjoyed cooking for friends and family and always checked up on them.
"She liked to cook for people, she liked to call people to make sure they're OK," Faye said. "She's going to be sorely missed."
The 37-year-old man who was driving the Infiniti, whose name was not released, passed by the scene later when he saw the heavy police presence and told police he may have been involved, NYPD sources said.
He passed a Breathalyzer test and his license information was in order, sources said. He's not expected to be charged with a crime, police said.
