BANGOR, Maine — A handwritten note, a yellow flower and a brown cigarillo were placed neatly on a downtown bench where a man who was struck and killed by a car while crossing the street Saturday night was known to sit.
Rain on Monday soaked the makeshift memorial. The letter was addressed to “RJ” and signed, “Tom.” No last names were included.
“Though most only saw you as some homeless guy or beggar, I saw you as someone who was misunderstood,” the author wrote. “And I do wish I had made more time to help you more than I did. Sleep in peace, my friend.”
Police on Monday remained tight-lipped about the identity of the man who died while crossing Hammond Street at about 8:35 p.m. Saturday and other details of the incident, including the name of the driver.
“We are still working to notify the family of the deceased, and at this point, because we have been unsuccessful in doing so, are not comfortable releasing that information,” Police Chief Mark Hathaway said Monday, in response to a Bangor Daily News request for information. “The Criminal Investigation Division, along with one of our accident reconstruction specialists, are working collectively to gather the facts of this matter.”
The 50-year-old male died as a result of significant head injuries, Det. Sergeant Dave Bushey said in a Monday afternoon email.
The Bangor Daily News confirmed the man’s name through the medical examiner’s office but is withholding the information to give police more time to locate next of kin.
The deceased man was homeless and was known by several aliases, including “RJ.” He also had a lengthy criminal history that made him a lifetime registrant on the Maine Sex Offender Registry.
The man was hit when a Chevrolet Cruze came down Hammond Street hill and went through the intersection with Central and Main streets and struck him just outside Bahaar Pakistani Restaurant, according to witnesses. The car is registered to a 68-year-old Bangor man the BDN is not naming because it could not confirm the driver’s identity.
“The male operator of the involved vehicle remained on scene until being transported to Eastern Maine Medical Center by the Bangor Fire Department,” Bushey said.
Police declined to answer questions about contributing factors in the fatal crash and have declined to say whether they expect any charges to be filed.
Owners of the restaurant said Saturday night that the victim was a homeless man that they fed regularly on weekend nights as they prepared to close for the evening. Farzana Khan, owner of the 24-year-old Bangor eatery, heard the crash and said she was saddened by the man’s death.
The man was a regular at the Hope House, a shelter for those with drug and alcohol addictions, and often could be seen sitting on a bench outside Mexicali Blues, which is located directly across from the Pakistani restaurant. He was crossing the street in front of the bench with his shopping cart, apparently to get his free meal, when he was struck.
The shopping cart was knocked over in the street, and the man’s possessions were strewn over the busy roadway.
“I will think of you each time I pass this bench,” the letter ends: “Your friend, Tom.”