‘He had his whole life in front of him,’ sister says of Bronx college student killed in crash with city bus
A promising and big-hearted Bronx college student who planned a future in finance died after a car in which he was riding slammed into a city bus.
Jermaine Paul, 21, was a passenger in his friends’ Nissan Maxima when the driver rear-ended a city bus on Bartow Ave. near Co-op City Blvd. in Baychester about 11:10 p.m. Feb. 13, authorities said.
The impact killed Paul, left the driver, Abraham Brown, in critical condition, and injured two other passengers. Police released Paul’s name on Monday.
“My brother was kind-hearted and a natural protector. He loved his family,” said his older sister, Joven Weir, 36, surrounded by a dozen grieving family members in the Co-Op City apartment where he lived with his mother. “He loved to laugh and cook.”
Paul just turned 21 in December, and was getting ready to graduate from Bronx Community College, she said.
“He had a general education degree and he planned to transfer to pursue a degree in finance. He had his whole life in front of him. It’s hard. We’re taking it one day at a time,” she said.
Brown picked Paul up for a night out with friends, she added, but none of the family knew where they were headed.
“Our family is sticking together to face it head on with lots of friends’ and neighbors’ support,” Weir said.
The crash remains under investigation, police said Tuesday.
