By Paul Bisceglio

The South Village lost an iconic friend last week in a gruesome accident along Sixth Avenue. Jessica Dworkin, 58, was struck by a tractor-trailer and dragged for two blocks under its wheels.

Dozens of pedestrians witnessed the collision. On the morning of Aug. 27, Dworkin began to cross Sixth Avenue on a foot scooter at the same time the 18-wheeler was turning onto the road from West Houston Street. The truck’s rear caught her and pulled her into its back wheels. Many onlookers chased the truck and screamed at the unaware driver, Greg Smith, but it took him until Carmine Street to realize that something had happened.

After Smith stopped the truck, he rushed out shocked and began crying, witnesses said. The driver now faces charges of failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care.

Dworkin was pronounced dead at the scene.

“She was a real neighborhood character. She gave flavor to the neighborhood,” said Soho Alliance director Sean Sweeney, who had seen Dworkin around town since she moved to her apartment on Thompson Street in the 1970s.

“Everyone knew of her,” a Soho shop owner added. “She was a staple in the neighborhood.”

Locals characterized Dworkin as an artistic eccentric, a South Village icon known for roaming the streets on her scooter, striking up conversations with the trees and changing her elaborate vintage outfits as many as four times a day.

“She was always a little bit disheveled, but had a shabby finery to her clothing,” Sweeney said. “She was very fashion-conscious in her own unique way.”

Sweeney recalled one of his first encounters with Dworkin years ago, when he and his girlfriend were walking back to his apartment late at night. She approached them on the street, and he expected her to ask for money. Instead, she pointed to his girlfriend’s shoes.

“Are those Ferragamos?” she asked.

They were.

“They look wonderful!” she declared, and continued down the street.

Dworkin’s past is mostly unknown. She reportedly said that she moved to the city from Massachusetts and claimed to have written for Interview and Details magazines. She had volunteered at the Judith C. White Senior Center for the past two years, and was described as kind, talkative and generally well-liked by employees at the shops she frequented along Thompson and Sullivan streets.

Many locals were unwilling to go into much more detail about Dworkin’s place in the community, though. “Her death really shook us up,” said one store employee. “The gruesomeness of it, the fact that we’ve seen her every day for years—I think many of us just need some time to work through this.”

A picture tribute to Dworkin was posted near her home. None of her family has been identified, but a local restaurant worker mentioned that a male relative of hers visited the neighborhood last Wednesday.

“Her death is a loss to the community,” said Sweeney, echoing the most common sentiment expressed by Soho, Greenwich Village and South Village residents. “Part of the neighborhood’s unique character went with her.”

By Paul Bisceglio

The shop owners at 314 Canal St. say they feel lucky to be alive after a car smashed into their storefront Tuesday, Aug. 21. According to police and witnesses, a black Mercedes made an illegal U-turn on Canal by Mercer Street and clipped the rear of a green Subaru, which shot into another vehicle before careening onto the sidewalk and into the garage-style entrance of one of the low-cost jewelry stores.

“It was like a dream,” said Maiya Lama, one of the shop’s five co-owners. She had been rearranging items in the store when she heard a loud crash in the street, then all of a sudden a car was spitting flames and fumes inches in front of her.

Lama was trapped in the single-room store with four other workers until firemen doused the flames. The car took out cabinets, piping, lighting and the track for the slide-down door. Co-owner Jahir Rahman said he always sits by a watch display case that the car demolished, but happened to be in the bathroom during the crash. Lama added that some customers had left “just two seconds” before the accident.

The owners estimated that repairs and losses could cost them over $25,000. The store has no insurance.

A witness who rushed to the Subaru driver’s aid reported that the driver suffered a seizure and still had her foot on the gas pedal after the collision. The driver was treated at the hospital for head trauma. The Mercedes driver fled the scene out of panic, police said, but then returned and was taken into custody.

“Trapped in there, I thought I would die,” said Lama, who was also treated at a hospital for minor injuries. “Thank God. Thank God.”
She reopened the store for business the next day.

Rape Suspect’s Police Sketch Released
Policed have released a sketch of the suspect in mid-August’s Greenwich Village sexual assault incident. The suspect is believed to be around 6 feet tall with a medium build.
According to DNAinfo, the man entered 85 Washington Place, a massage parlor, on Friday morning, Aug. 17, and knocked a 41-year-old woman unconscious, sexually assaulted her and robbed the business.

W. Village Apartment Catches Fire, 9 Hurt
Nine people were reportedly hurt when an apartment caught fire early Saturday morning in the West Village. The fire began in a residential building near the corner of Commerce and Bedford streets, but everyone was able to escape relatively safely. Two people suffered minor burns while seven inhaled smoke, but all injuries are considered minor and not life-threatening.

Dog Shot By Police  Making Steady Recovery
Last month, the pit bull named Star became known around New York City after a video leaked of a police officer shooting it in the East Village, while the dog was attempting to protect its homeless owner. According to several reports, Star is now making a steady recovery.

While Star’s medical bills topped $10,000, they were paid for by a medical fund created for the pooch. Star’s owner, Lech Stankiewicz, still hasn’t reclaimed his quadrupedal companion, and the dog has since been in possession of Animal Care and Control. The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals will reportedly take control of the dog after it recovers.

9/11 Museum to Host New Exhibit
While the 9/11 Museum has yet to open, Daniel Kohn’s new exhibit, “Towards New Jersey,” will be on display as part of the September 11 Museum and Memorial at the World Trade Center’s annual gala Sept. 4.

During the event, to be held at Cipriani Wall Street, a collection of Kohn’s painting and sculptures will be on view. One painting, funded by the MTA, will recall the eastern and western views from the WTC’s upper floors. Kohn was the artist-in-residence in Tower One in 1998-99.

Woman Killed By Truck in W. Village Traffic Accident
A 58-year-old woman, who was riding a scooter, was reportedly hit and dragged by a tractor-trailer on Monday afternoon in the West Village.
Apparently, the driver failed to realize he had struck the woman and he reportedly proceeded to drag her down a couple of streets. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Police do not suspect any criminal behavior on part of the driver.

After the incident, state Sen. Daniel Squadron released called for more to be done “to protect pedestrians and cyclists.”

“There are a number of major gaps in pedestrian and cyclist safety—and now is the time for the city and state to quickly fill them,” he continued.

Squadron vowed to expedite bills intended to further protect New York City’s pedestrians and cyclists from automobiles.

“Of course today’s tragedy is unique and we don’t know if any of these critical improvements would have prevented it. But we must do everything in our power to prevent the next one,” Squadron added.