NYPD: Woman Struck and Killed by Bus in Lower Manhattan

A federal court clerk from Melville who excelled at law and friendship, winning the love and admiration of her colleagues and professors, died after being struck by a private bus Thursday evening in lower Manhattan, officials said.

The driver, Xi Chen, 50, of Manhattan, remained at the scene, and was arrested and charged with failing to yield to a pedestrian and exercise due care, according to the NYPD.

Kimberly Greer, 28, was hit while trying to cross Leonard Street in a marked crosswalk about 7:30 p.m., according to police.

The court complaint states that video surveillance shows Greer was walking across the street while the pedestrian signal was in her favor. The front of the bus, which was making a left turn onto Centre Street, struck her while she was still in the crosswalk, according to the complaint. The driver allegedly accelerated into the turn as Greer crossed the street , the complaint states.

She was taken to NewYork-Presbyterian/Lower Manhattan Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

Greer, who married in November and who was remembered as someone who sought to make the world better, clerked for U.S. Magistrate Judge Katharine H. Parker of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The courthouse lies just a few blocks from the site of the collision.

Hired as a federal court clerk in March, Greer also taught as an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Law, where she earned her law degree two years ago.

The judge, in a statement, began by explaining what the legal world has lost: “Kimberly was a vibrant young woman with an excellent legal mind. She distinguished herself in Chambers through her keen analytical skills and fluent writing.”

The judge then extolled the exceptional person she had come to know.

“Most importantly, she was one of the most kind and generous persons I know, quick to lend a hand to colleagues, bake cookies for interns, and mentor students. She was a deeply valued and loved member of my Chambers Family and we are devastated by this tragedy,” Parker said.

Law school graduates must compete vigorously for court clerkships, which can launch careers. Clerking for federal judges is especially prestigious and often arduous.

Greer, who graduated from Northwestern University in 2012, where she made the dean’s list, also excelled at Fordham.

As a member of the National Moot Court Team, she won first place in oral advocacy and best brief writer, the judge said. Greer was the president of the Fordham Law School Student Association and an associate editor of the Fordham Intellectual Property, Media & Entertainment Law Journal.

Chen was arraigned Saturday morning at Manhattan Criminal Court, authorities said. He posted $1,000 bail and surrendered his passport. He is due back in court on Jan. 24.

Chen’s Legal Aid Society attorney, Jin Wu, could not immediately be reached for comment.

The NYPD did not identify the private commercial bus company.

Matthew Diller, dean and Paul Fuller professor of law at Fordham, in a statement, also described Greer as someone whose contributions were many — and who would be deeply missed.

“She had tremendous positive energy, ideas and talent. She was committed to making the Law School and her surroundings a better place,” he said.

The Fordham law school dean added: “She was an incredible, young lawyer who accomplished so much in so little time.” He continued:

“Our community is so much the better for her leadership as a student, as president of the Student Bar Association, and then as a member of our adjunct faculty. We extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband, Michael Eric Singer, who graduated alongside Kimi in 2016, her father, her two brothers, and the rest of her family and friends.”

By Joan Gralla and Stefanie Dazio [NewsDay]