A Maryland man who used to work for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was killed by a passing car after being ordered out of a Lyft ride on a Delaware highway, according to authorities.
Sidney Wolf, 43, of Clarksburg died on July 24 during a fatal pedestrian crash that happened in Dewey Beach, Delaware State Police said in a news release.
“[Wolf] and five of his friends hired a ‘Lyft’ driver to pick them up in Dewey Beach and transport them back to their residence in Bethany Beach,” police said.
“As the group was traveling southbound on Coastal Highway all in the same vehicle, a disagreement occurred between the group and the Lyft operator,” they continued. “The Lyft operator terminated the ride and stopped in the middle of the southbound left lane and demanded all six passengers exit the vehicle.”
As the group exited the ride, a driver of a 2016 Toyota Corolla behind the Lyft changed lanes to avoid hitting the rear of the stopped SUV, hitting Wolf in the process.
The driver of the Corolla failed to see Wolf, who had just gotten out of the rear passenger side and was standing in the roadway.
“As a result, the left front of [the] Corolla struck the pedestrian,” police said. “After impact, the Corolla immediately pulled over on the southbound shoulder and came to a controlled stop. The Lyft vehicle fled southbound on Coastal Highway immediately after the crash.”
The five other passengers traveling with Wolf were not injured after exiting the Lyft vehicle.
Cuomo said on Twitter he was “shocked [and] saddened” after learning about the tragic news of his former senior policy adviser’s death.
Shocked & saddened to hear this tragic news. Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NY’ers
My heart goes out to Lindsey & his two young daughters
Gov Cuomo staffer killed after being ordered out of Lyft https://t.co/ODiGaWRez3
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) July 26, 2022
“Sid was a phenomenal public servant who worked relentlessly for the betterment of all NY’ers,” Cuomo wrote. “My heart goes out to Lindsey [and] his two young daughters.”
Wolf’s loved ones started a GoFundMe fundraiser for his wife, Lindsey, and two daughters. As of Wednesday morning, donations had exceeded $59,000.
“Sid always had a smile on his face and was a great husband, father, friend, and neighbor to so many of us,” the page’s organizers wrote.
“While neighbors organized this campaign, all funds are intended to and will go directly to Lindsey’s account,” it added.