Family of actress killed in hit and run begs for justice

NEW YORK (WABC) -- The famioy of an aspiring young actress killed by a hit-and-run dump truck driver in Union Square is pleading with the driver to come forward.

Mom Cristina Oprea is demanding justice for her daughter, 21-year-old Roxana Sorina Buta, who was headed home to East Harlem from her job as a waitress last Thursday when she was hit by the truck.

Friends and family members gathered Tuesday night at the intersection where she died. The dump truck that hit her never stopped, and police say they are looking for surveillance video that might show what happened.

Buta was in a comedy called "Him" that played at the Cherry Lane Theatre in Greenwich Village. Its run ended in January. The play's writer and director, Clifford Streit, said Buta had "phenomenal potential."

Buta's bedroom was once filled with dreams and giggles. Now, it is a shrine filled with her ashes, photos and the shoe she wore the night she was killed.

"I remember my daughter always with a big smile," Cristina Oprea said. "She knows I love her so much."

Fellow actors are planning a rally for Roxana. Meanwhile, her family is left with the knowledge that their daughter will never get to chase her dreams.

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new york city, union square, hit and run accident, pedestrian struck, new york news, lucy yang

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