Queens Widower Pushes Hate Crime Charge in Wife's Fatal Hit-and-Run

Michael Trager, 70, lost his wife Cara in a Memorial Day hit-and-run in Queens. He now wants the accused driver charged with an antisemitic hate crime.

Queens Man Seeks Antisemitic Hate Crime Charge After Wife Killed in Memorial Day Crash

More than three months after his wife was struck and killed in a hit-and-run in Queens, Michael Trager is calling on prosecutors to add an antisemitic hate crime charge against the accused driver, NY Post Metro reports.

Trager, 70, and his wife Cara, 71, were walking to a nearby restaurant on the evening of May 25 after watching the 1946 wartime romance film "The Best Years of Our Lives" at home. The couple, both members of the Hollis Hills Jewish community, were on Union Parkway when a motorist traveling 75 mph in a 35 mph zone plowed into two other vehicles. One of those cars was propelled into the Tragers, mortally wounding Cara, who died days after the crash.

"Physically I'm lucky to be alive," Trager said in a recent interview. "Mentally, honestly, I had a really wonderful marriage and it's very hard to lose somebody that you really loved."

He added: "For the first time in 47 years, I'm alone and that's not the way I wanted things to go out for her, for sure. Because you don't get the chance to say goodbye."

Suspect Previously Targeted Jewish-Owned Business

The accused driver, Dawood Faisal, 22, is currently held at Rikers Island on manslaughter and related charges. According to a report by National Review, Faisal had been performing doughnuts at the intersection of Francis Lewis Boulevard before running a red light and striking the vehicle that hit the Tragers. Police said he attempted to flee on foot but was detained by bystanders until officers arrived.

On July 31, police filed additional criminal mischief charges against Faisal, alleging he had vandalized Bagels & Co. — a Jewish-owned shop in Queens that displayed Israeli flags and banners — twice in the weeks before the crash. One of those incidents occurred on May 23, just two days before Cara Trager was killed.

It is that alleged pattern, Trager argues, that gives the crash a potential antisemitic dimension.

"What I am alleging was that he was in a Jewish area, a very heavy Jewish area," Trager said. "And though he did not necessarily try to kill Cara Trager or injure Michael Trager, it was a good likelihood that if he was gonna do that activity, it's going to more than likely hurt a Jewish person."

He also pointed to his wife's devotion to her faith: "Because you couldn't be any more pro-Jewish than she was."

Meetings With City Officials

Trager said he met recently with Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, describing the meeting as "excellent" and noting she "seemed very sympathetic" to his concerns.

He said he also wants a sit-down with Mayor Zohran Mamdani — who has faced criticism over past statements regarding Israel — to urge him to take a public stand against antisemitism.

"I want to see that he cares," Trager said. "I want to see that my fellow Jews can live safely and peacefully in a city. I want him to be the mayor of all the people, whether he agrees with them or not. I want everyone to feel that they matter."

Trager acknowledged that proving a hate crime motive in the context of a vehicular death would be legally complex. Still, he said he feels compelled to pursue the matter.

"I'm sad. Very sad," he said. "It's not helpful to be angry, 'cause I can't change things the way they are. But I can try to attempt to make sure that these incidents are few and far between, and we have a mayor and other government leaders that are doing their best to make sure these incidents don't happen again."

Additional reporting by Joe Marino.

Source: NY Post Metro