'Warm, Loving' Brooklyn Man Killed in Atlantic Avenue Hit-and-Run

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — Rodney Graham, a 49-year-old Brownsville resident, was killed early Sunday morning as he tried to cross Atlantic Avenue at its intersection with Rockaway Avenue in Bed-Stuy, according to the NYPD.

Graham was crossing Atlantic from north to south around 4:20 a.m. when he was hit by two different vehicles heading east on Rockaway, police said.

Phil Orlick, a friend of the victim’s who said they did volunteer work together, said in an email to Patch that he knew Graham to be ”warm, reliable and loving.”

“How sad,” Orlick wrote. “His life had been getting better.”

The first driver who hit Graham stayed at the crash scene, police said; however, the second allegedly fled.

Tanyia Brand, the victim’s girlfriend, told the New York Post that her boyfriend survived the first hit and was attempting to get out of the road when he was crushed by the second car — which then disappeared into the night.

“Even if this person isn’t caught by the police, they’re gonna be caught in their own mind,” Brand told the Post. “I pray for the person who killed him.”

Graham was transported by ambulance to Brookdale Hospital in Brownsville, where he was declared dead,.

On Facebook, a friend of Graham and Brand posted photos of the crash scene Sunday. Candles had been placed on the sidewalk near where Graham died, and an NYPD billboard solicited information on the crime from drivers whizzing past.

Anyone with info on the vehicle that hit Graham is asked to contact the NYPD at 1-800-577-TIPS.

Did you know Rodney Graham? We’d love to learn more about him. Reach out: simone.wilson@patch.com.