91-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor Gennady Bolotsky Killed In Hit-And-Run In Los Angeles
Los Angeles police are seeking help from the public after 91-year-old Holocaust survivor Gennady Bolotsky was killed in a hit-and-run accident, and the city is putting up a massive reward for details that lead to an arrest in the case.
The incident took place on June 17 in the Los Angeles suburb of Valley Village, where police said Bolotsky was walking in a pedestrian sidewalk when a pickup truck crashed into him. As NBC News reported, security video showed the light-colored truck with a camper shell striking the victim at close to 5:35 a.m.
Police said that Bolotsky was taken to a hospital where he died from multiple blunt-force traumas suffered in the accident.
Other reports indicated that Bolotsky could have been helped in the immediate aftermath of the accident, but a witness did not stop to help him. As Fox 8 reported, the security video showed that another pedestrian was crossing the street at the same time that Bolotsky was struck and saw the accident, but did not stop.
This was not the first time that the Holocaust survivor had been involved in an accident. A neighbor told NBC News that Bolotsky was struck by a car in the same intersection 15 years ago, but survived the incident.
Family members said that Gennady Bolotsky, who escaped Nazi occupation of Europe during World War II to travel to the United States, remained healthy and active, despite his age.
“He was supposed to live to 100 or more. At 91, he had more energy than a person half his life,” his son, Michael Bolotsky, said.
The Holocaust survivor’s granddaughter, Adriana Bolotsky, said that he was returning from his morning walk with his dog at the time of the accident and had nearly returned home. She called on the person who struck Bolotsky to come forward.
“I get you’re probably scared, but be a human, be a good person and come forward,” she told Fox 8.
The story has generated national interest, with many news outlets picking up on the story and sharing information about the still-unidentified car that struck the Holocaust survivor. Some posted the graphic video of the accident in the hope that it could prompt someone to come forward, while other stories celebrated the life of the 91-year-old who survived the Holocaust and started a new life in the United States.
A driver hit Gennady Bolotsky while the Holocaust survivor, who had just celebrated his 91st birthday, walked his dog.? https://t.co/OtN9xS4fLR
— WTVR CBS 6 Richmond (@CBS6) June 21, 2019
The city of Los Angeles has offered a $50,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest in the case.
