The mother of a young actress killed in a Manhattan hit-and-run last month said cops now believe a city Department of Transportation dump truck is responsible — but they refuse to arrest the driver.
Christina Oprea claims cops are stonewalling her demands after telling her nearly two weeks ago that the driver would be busted for the May 24 tragedy near Union Square that claimed the life of Roxana Sorina Buta, 21.
“They have the guy. They’ve identified the truck,” Oprea said. “I need to know the reason why he’s not arrested.”
“She was my only child. We were more than mother and daughter — she was my life,” Oprea said. “When she died, I died, too. I’m alive just to get justice for her.”
Lawyer Joseph Tacopina, who is representing the mom, called “outrageous” the sequence of events — of cops asking the public for help identifying the dump-truck driver, telling Oprea they had a suspect, then backing off and claiming the case remains under investigation.
“A cynic might suggest it has something to do with the fact that the vehicle that struck and killed [Buta] was a New York City vehicle,” Tacopina fumed.
The NYPD did not return requests for comment. The DOT referred all questions to the NYPD.