ICYMI: ‘I Just Want Justice Done’: Slain Motorcyclist’s Mother

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — It was on a nice, summer-like day that avid biker Nicole Vargas decided to head out on the road for a ride on her electric blue Suzuki GSX-R to drop off a gift to a friend whose child was celebrating a birthday.

She never arrived at her friend's house.

Halfway into her ride on Sept. 20, 2020, Vargas was cut off by a sedan — and possibly struck in a road rage incident — and she was knocked from her bike into the path of another car that struck her on a stretch of the Northern State Parkway in Jericho, according to New York State Police investigators. The driver of the sedan kept on going, police said, but Vargas was stopped from ever riding her motorcycle anywhere, again.

The 36-year-old succumbed to her injuries at the crash site.

"She was an excellent, loving person," said her mother, Desi Fasone of Bellerose, in a recent interview. "For someone to hit her and leave...there is just no respect for life anymore. It's just sad, and I just want justice done."

Vargas, who grew up in the Floral Park/Bellerose area and attended Floral Park Memorial High School, worked as a medical secretary for a cardiologist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. She was also the mother of a 14-year-old son, Isaiah.

"She was really well-loved person," said Fasone.

About an hour into Vargas' trip, Fasone, noticed that her cell phone had not changed position on the 360 application, but she wrote it off with others that maybe her daughter had lost the device while out riding. When the ping remained at the same spot hours later, Fasone called the friend Vargas was visiting, but only to learn that her daughter never showed up to her planned destination.

"I thought they were messing with me," Fasone recalled. Worried Vargas' friend decided to take a drive to the area of the Northern State Parkway near Exit 35 where the phone appeared in the 360 app, but the roadway was closed down because of what appeared to be an accident investigation, Fasone said.

It was hours before Fasone was contacted by police confirming her worst fears, she said. Throughout that time, Fasone waited at home in Bellerose for any news with Isaiah, and his father came by to provide emotional support, she said.

Vargas was an experienced rider who learned to be cautious when she was first introduced to motorcycles by her father at five years old, Fasone said. She does not believe that her daughter was riding the bike recklessly because she was known in the biking community to be an extra careful rider who respected the rules of the road, observed the speed limit, and would often lag behind other riders traveling in a pack.

"She was not a crazy rider," Fasone said, adding, "She was a mother — she took precautions.”

The driver whose car struck Vargas after she fell had very little time to react to stop and was not cited for any misconduct, police said. Police have not yet located the driver who cut Vargas' bike off, but now Fasone is hoping that renewed interest in the case will help provide leads for investigators.

"We need to have some interest on this again," said Fasone of Vargas' death, adding, "Someone knows something."

The investigation into the crash that claimed Vargas' life is ongoing. Anyone with information about the crash can contact New York State Police Troop L at 631-756-3300.

Ryan Bonner contributed additional reporting to this report.