Robert Maraj, the father of famed rapper Nicki Minaj, died Saturday after being struck by a vehicle Friday on Long Island, N.Y., in what authorities said was a hit-and-run.
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From the New York Times:
Mr. Maraj was walking in the roadway near the intersection of Roslyn Road and Raff Avenue in Mineola, N.Y., at around 6:15 p.m. on Friday when he was hit by a northbound vehicle that left the scene, the Nassau County Police Department said in a statement.
Mr. Maraj, 64, a resident of Mineola, was transported to a hospital in critical condition, the police said, before he was pronounced dead by a hospital doctor on Saturday.
The Times reports that the Nassau County Police Department said its Homicide Squad is investigating the tragic incident, and, according to the Associated Press, officials are asking anyone who may have witnessed the fatal crash to come forward with any information they have.
While no one has come forward who saw the hit-and-run, a woman who lives near the site of the crash, Vanessa Rodriguez, told CBS New York that she did see Maraj lying in the street afterward.
“We just saw a jacket ripped open, cut open, trying to make sure the man had a pulse,” she said. “All I hoped for was the person to have a pulse and survive. I’m speechless, I don’t know what to say.”
According to CBS, investigators said they have not been able to get a description of the vehicle that struck the 64-year-old.
Minaj—who spoke about her strained relationship with her father whom she called “abusive” in a 2015 interview with the Times—has not spoken publicly about Maraj’s death.
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