Family Of hit-and-run victim wants action

The family of Jacob Colon, the 12-year-old Ozone Park boy who was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver in December, gathered at the site of the car accident on Tuesday, January 16, the one-month anniversary of Colon’s death.
The gathering at 108th Street and Atlantic Avenue served a dual purpose for family and friends - to remember the vibrant boy and to mobilize action. For the past month, kin, including family friend Omayra Deleon, have been gathering signatures in a petition to lengthen the maximum sentence for hit and run drivers, who at most face 15 years behind bars. Relatives are also seeking families of other hit-and-run victims in order to strengthen their cry for long sentences. In addition, they are hoping to involve local lawmakers and judicial officials. So far, Deleon said, the group has gathered between 400 and 500 signatures and are hoping to get many more.
A second goal for the Colon family is to have the street where the seventh grader at Ozone Park was killed, renamed in his memory.
On December 16, Colon, who had been walking home to retrieve his bike, was allegedly mowed down by 46-year-old Juan Franjul, who police believe was speeding away from the scene of a fender bender.
Franjul’s case is pending in Queens Criminal Court, and his next scheduled appearance is on Friday, January 26 for a conference, said a spokesperson for Queens District Attorney Richard Brown.