Jersey City Councilwoman DeGise Says She Won't Resign After Crash With Bicyclist

JERSEY CITY, NJ — Days after video was made public of a Jersey City councilwoman hitting a bicyclist in an intersection, Councilwoman Amy DeGise released a statement through a spokesman, saying she won't resign and will release more information in the future.

Meanwhile, a rally is planned Saturday afternoon calling for her to resign.

Spokesman Phil Swibinski released this statement Friday:

"Councilwoman DeGise was elected overwhelmingly just a few months ago and she has no intention of walking away from the commitment she made to serve the people of Jersey City. She will not resign and plans to complete her full term and continue in public service.

"Amy recognizes the calls that have been made for additional information and transparency. She would very much like to address this situation more comprehensively, but there is a legal process that must play out first and she will not be making any additional public comment at this time."

Swibinsky added, "As she has said previously, she is thankful that no one was seriously injured and she fully intends to speak out more when the legal process is concluded. She will continue working hard to serve the people who elected her, just as she has since she was inaugurated in January."

DeGise was summonsed on Tuesday, July 19, for leaving the scene of the crash around 8 a.m.

This week, various videos released of the incident — which shows the cyclist flipping over the SUV, and DeGise continuing to drive — have sparked new criticism of the councilwoman.

Two council members and two Jersey City street safety groups called on her to resign on Wednesday. Others are asking residents to address the incident at the council's next meeting in August.

The bicyclist, Andrew Black, has raised more than $1,000 in a GoFundMe, saying he hasn't been able to work since the crash. He was delivering for UberEats at the time, he said.

A petition started by a resident on Tuesday night, July 26, asking DeGise to resign, had garnered more than 1,400 signatures by Friday morning.

More video released on Friday showed that DeGise went to police headquarters to report the crash six hours afterward, accompanied by a man.

According to the police report, last Tuesday morning at 7:58 a.m., a man "was riding his bicycle south bound on MLK Drive going through the green light on Forrest St. when he was struck by a vehicle going east that he described as a black SUV. Mr. [redacted] had a complaint of pain to his left ankle and a laceration to his right leg. Mr. [redacted] stated he did not observe who was operating the vehicle."

(Video actually appears to show that the bicyclist went through a red light.)

After the man was taken to Jersey City Medical Center, the officers watched surveillance cameras in the area, "and the vehicle came back to a black Nissan Rogue registered to a Amy DeGise," the report says.

DeGise was issued two summonses for failure to report an accident and leaving the scene of an accident, the report says.

DeGise is a councilwoman-at-large, a political "rising star" in the county, and the daughter of Hudson County Executive Tom DeGise. According to NJ.com, she was widely considered a possible mayoral candidate in 2025 if Mayor Steven Fulop declines to seek re-election.

The crash between the car and bicyclist can be seen at 1:00 in his video.

Bodycam footage shows police asking if he hit his head, but he points out that he was wearing a helmet.