Dead EMT’s kin: Execute mowdown maniac
FAMILY MEMBERS of slain Bronx EMT Yadira Arroyo urged prosecutors to throw the book at the violent schizophrenic man who ran her over.
“We want the guy to fry,” said Arroyo’s uncle, Edwin Rosado. “We want the death penalty for him, crazy or not crazy. He shouldn’t be able to do that to anyone again.”
At a vigil Sunday night at the scene of Arroyo’s death at Watson Ave. and White Plains Road in Soundview, about 200 people lay flowers and lit candles in her memory. EMTs linked arms as they chanted “I’m Yari. We are all Arroyos.”
Arroyo’s mother, Leiea Arroyo, said the paramedic was a good mother and a good daughter.
“My daughter was the best in the world,” she said. “She always took care of me and always watched out for me. There wasn’t a day when she didn’t call me.”
“I hope he gets what he deserves, I hope he pays for what he did,” said Kenny Robles, the fallen EMT’s 19-yearold son. “That’s all I can say now.”
The 44-yearold Arroyo, a mother of five, died Thursday beneath the wheels of her FDNY ambulance. According to authorities, she was driving the vehicle and then stepped out when told a man was riding on the rear bumper. The man, Jose Gonzalez, 25, then jumped inside and tried to drive off — running Arroyo over twice as she tried to stop him, police said.
Gonzalez faces murder, manslaughter and robbery charges. New York does not have a death
penalty. The alleged killer has a long history of mental illness, and a rap sheet with 31 arrests.
“He’s supposed to be in jail,” said Arroyo’s brother, Joel Rosado. “If he’s crazy, he’s supposed to be on medication and be under curfew.”
The defendant lived in a homeless shelter just blocks away from Arroyo’s Creston Ave. home.
“There are kids living here and you have people like him living there,” Rosado said.“You have people like him moving into good neighborhoods and ruining it. It ruined my life.”
EMS Lt. Edwin Delapaz, 53, said Arroyo’s dedication never wavered.
“There were days she came in sicker than the people she dealt with,” Delapaz said. “I would try to send her home. She would just say, ‘I don’t want to go home,’ and she just went out and did her job.”
A Daily News fund launched for Arroyo’s five children topped more than $55,000 Sunday night.
The News started the fund Friday with a $10,000 contribution, and donors gave more than $45,000 through a PayPal account at nydn.us/ArroyoFund.
Checks can be made payable to Daily News Charities Inc. and mailed to: New York Daily News 4 New York Plaza New York, N.Y. 10004 Attn: Daily News Charities