In memoria: Teresa "Terri" Valenti

Theresa "Terri" Valenti, a beloved employee of National Elevator Cab and Door (NECD) for the past 16 years, passed away on October 6 as a result of being struck by an illegal e-bike on her way to work at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in NYC. She was 60 years old. NECD CEO Jeff Friedman told Gothamista that company colleagues were "simultaneously mourning and trying to figure out how to do what she did, because it was such a necessity." Friedman described Valenti as a wonderful person. She handled construction project management prior to joining NECD, where she was production control manager and field operations coordinator. Valenti had stepped off a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bus at a bus stop next to a busy bike lane on Flushing Avenue when the incident occurred at approximately 7:20 a.m. A 41-year-old man was driving the e-bike — a model capable of reaching approximately 30 mph — with a 39-year-old female passenger on the back when the collision occurred. Valenti passed away at a hospital later that morning. E-bikes capable of traveling 30 mph must have a license plate and be registered with the state Department of Motor Vehicles, which wasn't the case for the bike that struck Valenti. Survivors include daughter, Jessica; siblings Nicholas and Natale; ex-husband Peter; and many other relatives, friends and colleagues. "She was a dear friend and angel to many," her obituary said.