Lawyer Derek Sells holds a picture next to Nadjet Tchenar, the wife of Mohammed Zakaria Salah Rakchi, one of the victims of the U-Haul rampage, as they speak to the media during a press conference on Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, in New York. The truck, driven by a man with a history of violence and mental illness, hit multiple people as it wove through the streets of Brooklyn’s Bay Ridge section. AP Photo/Eduardo Munoz Alvarez
BAY RIDGE — Three years ago, YiJie Ye was on a routine delivery run in Brooklyn on his motorized scooter when he was in a crash with another vehicle. The collision left the father of three injured and unable to work, but soon he was back on the road supporting his children.
On Monday, he was hit again, though this time it was no accident. Ye was one of nine people who were struck by a U-Haul driven by a man who authorities said went on a miles-long (kilometers-long) rampage, barreling into bicyclists, moped riders, a police car and one pedestrian before he was captured.
Eight people survived the attack. Ye did not.
By his relatives’ account, Ye was a devoted single father who worked day and night to support his twin sons and a daughter, all teenagers. He died doing a dangerous job, one of the legions of takeout food workers zipping 24-hours a day through New York City’s sometimes inhospitable streets.
“He’s a first generation immigrant who was pursuing the American Dream for his kids,” said Mike Chen, whose wife, Jessy, is Ye’s cousin.
Ye arrived from China 18 years ago and made a living scooting from place to place to deliver food. When business was slow, he’d collect recyclables from city streets to supplement his income, said Chen, who owns the Brooklyn apartment building where Ye lived with his children, 2 miles (3 kilometers) from where he was run down.
It was just weeks ago when Ye and his relatives had gathered for a meal to celebrate the Lunar New Year.
“He had a lot of big plans for his kids, like going to college and…
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