Rosalyn Ng, the wife of the Manhattan SUV driver Alexian Lien who was severely beaten on Sunday after speeding away from an accident where he hit 32-year-old Edwin 'Jay' Mieses with his car, has spoken out for the first time since the assault, NBC News reported.
Ng said they were were "placed in grave danger by a mob of reckless and violent motorcyclists," and that her husband "was forced under the circumstances to take the action that he did in order to protect the lives of our entire family," she said Thursday in a statement.
"Our fear for our lives was confirmed when the incident ended with the ruthless and brutal attack on my husband, me, and, most importantly, our two-year-old child," the statement continued.
The NYPD said the motorcycles were part of a loosely organized, unauthorized rally called Hollywood Stuntz, which hoped to take over Times Square, had flooded the Henry Hudson Parkway.
After Lien hit Mieses, who remains in critical condition, the bikers led a hot pursuit where they tailed him for 50 New York City blocks, before cornering him and then smashed the windows of his Range Rover. Lien then was savagely beaten in front of his wife and child, police said, as reported by NBC News.
The biker who slowed down in front of Lien was 28-year-old Christopher Cruz who has since been charged with reckless driving and unlawful imprisonment. His lawyer told reporters he did not commit a crime, while another biker was arrested by police after he was seen hitting the Range Rover with his hands. Prosecutors, however, declined to bring charges and sources said he did not take part in the assault.
The NYPD has not charged Lien, as Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly has suggested that if he feared for his life, he may have been within his legal rights to speed away from the scene, hitting other bikers surrounding his SUV in the process.
