Jersey City 2025 Ceremony

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When: Sunday, November 16th at 10:00 am
Where: Ceremony at Eli Bender's memorial, 6th Street & Jersey Ave. Ride to follow.
Who: All are welcome. We'll have some words from local advocates and family of victims. Elected officials will be invited to attend, but not speak publicly. 

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Our ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM on Sunday, November 16, at the ghost bike memorial for Eli Bender, located at the corner of 6th Street and Jersey Ave. The loss of Eli, a vibrant six-year-old boy who was killed by a delivery truck earlier this year while crossing the street on his bicycle, was a profound tragedy that has deeply shaken our community. Gathering at his memorial site will be a poignant reminder of the human cost of traffic violence and the urgent need for safe streets for our most vulnerable residents.

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Memorial Refresh Ride: 

Following a brief ceremony with remarks from advocates and families of the victims, we will embark on a solemn, slow-paced memorial bike ride to honor Eli and other recent victims. The ride will pause at several other sites of tragedy across the city, where we will maintain the existing ghost bike memorials and replace them where they have gone missing. We plan to visit the following sites:

 

•Summit & Sip to honor the 73-year-old man killed there this year.

•Palisade & Paterson Plank, where 79-year-old Peggy McGeary was killed by a truck while riding her bike.

•Marin & Grand, where 34-year-old Natalia Caicedo died after being hit by a drunk driver who fled the scene of the crash.

•Terrace Avenue & Leonard Street, where 16-year-old Alexander Rosas Flores & 15-year-old Elionel Jimenez were struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver.

•31 Neptune Ave near Princeton Ave, where a scooter rider died just weeks ago after hitting a speed hump and losing control.