Matthew Von Ohlen, NYC Bike Lover and Bartender, Killed in Brutal Hit-and-Run

Pictured, left: Matthew Von Ohlen. Photo via Facebook

EAST WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — Matthew Von Ohlen, a 35-year-old Queens resident who said he "lived and breathed cycling," was killed in the wee hours Saturday by a hit-and-run driver in a black Chevy Camaro sedan with tinted windows, according to the New York City Police Department.

Von Ohlen was traveling eastbound in the bike lane along East Williamsburg's busy Grand Street, near Manhattan Avenue, when he was struck and killed around 2:40 a.m., police said.

Disturbing surveillance footage uploaded by the New York Post (and included below) shows the Chevy drive up behind Von Ohlen, run over his body and — without stopping — continue driving eastbound down Grand.

Around 24 hours later, Brooklyn detectives released photos of the Chevy to the media, in hopes someone would recognize the vehicle and lead police to the suspect.

But by Tuesday afternoon, they'd had no luck, according to a spokesman for the NYPD.

Police described the suspect's vehicle as a black, 2014-15 Chevy Camaro sedan with tinted windows and gold New York State license plates. (Photos below.)

Von Ohlen worked as a bartender at Apotheke, an upscale cocktail bar in Manhattan's Chinatown neighborhood.

"Having spent the last five years bartending and tour managing, you could say Matthew is a people person," the bio says. "Matthew sees biking as a way to stay fit and to decrease his environmental impact, and is a strong advocate of year-round ridership."

Police sources told PIX11 that the driver appeared to hit Von Ohlen intentionally.

Via PIX11:

Investigators believe the driver pulled alongside Van Ohen, slowed down and moved the car partially into the bike lane, where the victim was riding, the source said.

The driver then hit Van Ohen’s rear tire and as the victim fell off his bike, the driver slammed into him again, running over him and dragging him about 20 to 30 feet.

City bike advocates were furious to discover in the days following Von Ohlen's killing that instead of ticketing cars in the bike lane on Grand, NYPD officers were instead ticketing cyclists breaking traffic rules and handing out pamphlets on road safety.

Transportation Alternatives, arguably NYC's top cyclist advocacy group, issued a blistering statement Tuesday on the NYPD's "skewed priorities" and documented failure, in the past, to punish hit-and-run drivers. An excerpt, below.

The news that cyclist Matthew von Ohlen was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding in a Williamsburg bike lane over the weekend was disturbing enough, before shocking reports emerged that police now believe the driver ran over von Ohlen intentionally.

But then the NYPD literally added insult to injury the day after the crash by going to Grand Street, where von Ohlen was killed -- not to deter the type of reckless driving that led to the 35-year-old's death, but instead to issue summonses to cyclists for violations like running red lights. Officers also distributed pamphlets on bicycle safety -- as if better behavior could have saved Matthew von Ohlen, who was, after all, riding legally in a bike lane when he was so cruelly mowed down.