Only two days after Maspeth residents rallied demanding “Justice for George,” the suspect wanted in connection with the hit-and-run that killed George Gibbons was apprehended in Connecticut, according to police.
Peter Rodriguez was taken into custody in Connecticut by the Regional Fugitive Task Force one month to the day after the accident. The suspect was identified by police on October 25.
At the November 13 rally, where thousands of wanted posters were distributed and placed throughout the surrounding neighborhoods, Councilmember Elizabeth Crowley urged the community to stay vigilant and assured the crowd that Rodriguez would be found.
More than 100 members of the community, many wearing “Justice for George” T-shirts, gathered at 69th Street and Grand Avenue in Maspeth on Sunday — just blocks from Gibbons’ Home bar — to lend support in finding Rodriguez.
“We must come together, not only as a community, but as a city, to find this fugitive, to bring him to justice and to give a little bit of peace to the Gibbons family,” said Crowley at the rally.
Gibbons was killed on the morning of October 15 when the livery cab he was traveling in was struck by a Chrysler Sebring, allegedly driven by Rodriguez, traveling the wrong way on the eastbound side of the Long Island Expressway service road.
The 37 year old was taken to Elmhurst General Hospital and pronounced dead upon arrival, police said.
Rodriguez left the scene of the accident and was on the run for one month before his apprehension. Over the past month, he had reportedly been sighted on Metropolitan Avenue, Woodhaven Boulevard, Middle Village and the Bushwick area.
Bernadette Gibbons, George’s sister, called the support she and the family received from the community “amazing.”
“I don’t even have words to express the gratitude I have towards our friends and family in the community. We’re just so grateful. We expect nothing less for George,” she said.
Earlier this month, a $10,000 reward was announced for a tip that led to Rodriguez’s arrest.
“It’s clear how much support the Gibbons family has. Our community has been hurt so much by the loss of somebody who contributed so much to Maspeth,” Crowley said of George, who she added was loved and adored by so many.
