Last night a 46-year-old Jets fan took to his unplowed Great Kills driveway for a celebratory sled ride that ended in death. Ray Larsen careened down the slope on a circular sled and skidded into the street, where he was fatally struck by an oncoming car. One neighbor told the Staten Island Advance, “We heard a loud noise, like metal hitting metal, almost. I didn’t think anything of it." But when emergency vehicles showed up on the block, "We went outside, and I saw him laying there, and someone was doing chest compressions."
Larsen was declared dead at Staten Island University South; police believe he was drinking during the game. The 61-year-old woman who hit Larsen with her Hyundai Santa Fe reportedly scored a zero on a breathalyzer test, and no charges were filed. Her male passenger allegedly told police, “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe this. He came out of nowhere. He was skateboarding.”
Larsen is described as a huge Jets fan who was known on the block for his elaborate holiday decorations and sitting at his outdoor fire pit. One neighbor said, “It’s really a big loss not having him on the block. He was really a fun, fun guy."
