‘One long nightmare’

No answers as fam reels in hit-run death

For one Bronx family, life has been a nightmare since their patriarch was hit by a minivan and left for dead on Thanksgiving.

Roberto Velez, 59, was struck by a callous hit-and run driver on Bruckner Blvd. a few minutes after midnight Nov. 26., police said. After weeks at the hospital and two cranial surgeries, his family took him off life support Tuesday.

“All the days are just one long nightmare,” said Caesar Velez, 31, Velez’s son, at his parents’ Castle Hill home.

Velez worked at the Four Seasons hotel, and when he never made it home Thanksgiving morning, Maria Ruiz, his ex-wife and best friend, felt abject panic and despair.

“At four o’clock in the morning I woke up and I was like, ’Where is he?’” said Ruiz, 67.

She immediately called their sons.

“My brother and his girlfriend are tech savvy and traced his phone to Jacobi,” said his son Roberto Velez Jr., 38.

When they got to Jacobi Medical Center, information was scarce.

Later that day, the family went to the 43rd Precinct stationhouse but still couldn’t get a clear picture of what happened.

So they began their own investigation, speaking to neighbors who live on the block where Velez was found, and viewing surveillance footage.

“Meanwhile my father was in the hospital fighting for his life,” Caesar Velez said.

Police said the driver stopped his minivan but never helped Velez at the scene. Instead, he waited just long enough to pick up two friends, then sped away from the 12:05 a.m. crash on Bruckner Blvd. near Havemeyer Ave.

First responders found Velez on the ground with a massive head injury and several broken ribs.

A witness to the aftermath said he looked out his window just in time to see a young man in a hoodie run to the minivan.

“As soon as I heard a thud I came to the window,” said Melvin, 48, who did not give his last name.

He saw Velez lying in the road near his driveway and a man running from the corner toward the car.

“He covered his head right away. He got into the SUV and it sped up Havemeyer,” the witness said. “It all happened within a couple of minutes.”

Police said Sunday that investigators believe he was struck by a hit-and-run driver.

The scene left family wondering if their beloved patriarch was attacked — a scenario his son said police seemed to suggest to the family, but have not shared with the media.

“From what they’ve seen they did think it was more than just a typical hit and run. They thought that there was maybe something more involved,” said Roberto Velez Jr. “Why was my father in the middle of the street? Something happened.”

Born and raised in Spanish Harlem, Velez worked as an operator engineer at midtown’s Four Seasons Hotel for more than 20 years, his family said. He stayed in shape, riding a bike and working out in the home gym he’d built during the pandemic.

“He was a big volunteer with the Holy Family Church,” said Caesar Valez. “Parish basketball, parish baseball.”

Velez had a particular soft spot for dogs, including rescues, and was taking care of three pooches at the time of his death.

“He loved animals. He would walk on the streets with dog food and cat food, bird food,” said Caesar Valez, who called his father the “glue” of the family.

Velez’s kin are planning a wake Monday and a funeral Tuesday.

For the Valez family, there is no holiday cheer this year.

“The Christmas spirit is just not there,” Ruiz said.