Slain Bronx tow guy in fatal hit-run
Was on bail when killed in gunfight
Karma visited a tow truck driver shot dead Tuesday by an angry customer at a Bronx car repair shop, said a friend of a man the tow driver was accused of killing in a fatal hit-run motor vehicle crash.
“That is something that should be on Netflix,” said Janis Brown-Jiggette of the shockingly violent death of John Vallejo, 32, who was fatally wounded in a gunfight with a 19-year-old upset about a car repair job.
When he died, Vallejo was free on bail for a fatal 2020 hit-run that took the life of Edgardo Garcia, 56, in a crash just three blocks from the Hunts Point auto shop where the angry teen car repair customer fatally shot him.
“I don’t wish anyone tragedies or whatever,” said Brown-Jiggette. “All I can say as a Christian person is, I’m sorry it happened. But like they say, karma.”
Vallejo hobbled away from the June 30, 2020 crash that killed Garcia. He was arrested exactly one year later, and released on $25,000 bail.
On Tuesday, Vallejo was shot dead when he swapped shots with the angry teen car owner inside First Choice Automotive at Randall and Bryant Aves. in Hunts Point.
The teen came into the shop with friends, looking to pick up a black Mercedes E300, which was involved in a wreck. He was mad that his car hadn’t been washed yet, and infuriated about having to pay a $1,000 deductible, said shop manager Armando Lio, 32.
Lio watched the violence unfold before his eyes.
“We told him, ‘Listen, we’re gonna wash your car so you can take it.’ And I guess he was on drugs or something, I don’t know,” Lio said.
“His eyes — it was like he had a demon in him. He was like, ‘Yo, I want my car right now.’”
The suspect blew his top when the topic of money came up, one of Lio’s friends in the shop said.
“The insurance paid everything, but he didn’t want to pay a deductible, and he was supposed to pay $1,000. So that’s why he pulled the gun out,” the friend said.
The teen pointed his weapon at a receptionist, and that’s when Vallejo, an independent tow truck operator who sometimes worked in the shop, took out his piece, Lio said.
“He just showed it, and the guy started shooting at him, and hit him right away,” Lio said.
Vallejo, who was shot in the chest, fired back at the teen, hitting him in the chest and arm during the exchange, according to cops.
Medics rushed both men to Bellevue Hospital, but Vallejo could not be saved.
The 19-year-old was taken into custody at the hospital. Charges against him were pending Wednesday as he recovered, cops said.
“If we knew that would happen, we would have let him take the car,” Lio said. “It all happened so fast.”
Police couldn’t say Wednesday if Vallejo had a permit to carry his gun.
He had an arrest record, including a 2019 robbery arrest in Manhattan, and a local code violation for having a police scanner in his tow truck that same year. The robbery case has been sealed, law enforcement sources said.
In June, cops charged Vallejo with leaving the scene of a fatal accident, aggravated unlicensed driving, reckless driving and resisting arrest.
He was accused of driving a Mercedes-Benz that T-boned a 2005 Chrysler Suburban on Manida St. near Oak Point Ave. in Hunts Point on June 30, 2020, cops said.
Vallejo was speeding east on Oak Point Ave. when he slammed into Garcia’s Suburban, sending it spinning into a parked vehicle.
Vallejo’s car also spun, and came to rest on the side of a brick building.
The hit-and-run driver, who was sporting a brace on his right knee and was walking with crutches, and a passenger got out of the wrecked Mercedes.
They then hopped into a Range Rover that stopped to pick them up, shocked witnesses told police a year ago.
Garcia, who was driving the Suburban, was rushed to Lincoln Hospital, but he could not be saved.
Shortly after Garcia’s death, Brown-Jiggette spoke fondly of him.
“He loved old school music. not the stuff they’re playing now. All the old stuff with lyrics,” Brown-Jiggette told the Daily News in 2020. “Whenever you got in his vehicle, he always had nice music to play for you.”
Video surveillance and blood on the driver’s side airbag helped police identify Vallejo as the runaway driver. His DNA was already on file in the National Forensic DNA Databank, according to court records.
His driver’s license had been suspended for failing to pay a motor vehicle fine.
Police had a warrant out for Vallejo’s arrest when they spotted him operating his tow truck on June 30, despite the suspended license. When cops approached, he ran away and refused to be handcuffed, court papers state.
Lio said Vallejo was a father of four, and praised him as a devoted dad.
“He was a great person, he was a great father, he was a great friend. He was always willing to help with whatever was needed,” Lio said.