NBC New York’s Ida Siegal explains the shocking way a New Jersey mother said she learned about the car crash that killed her daughter — days after it occurred, and after police told the family nothing.
What to Know
- A family is inconsolable as they grieve the death of their loved one, Mucielouise Bostic -- a mother of four who was killed in a single-car crash in Newark early Monday as she made her way home from a late-night nursing shift.
- This tragic loss became all the more devastating because the Bostic family had to find out about it on a local media blog.
- They rushed to University Hospital for information but they were told there was no record of Muciekouise in the system. As of Thursday morning, they had not received a single phone call or visit from police telling them what happened.
A family is inconsolable as they grieve the death of their loved one, Mucielouise Bostic -- a mother of four who was killed in a single-car crash in Newark early Monday as she made her way home from a late-night nursing shift.
“I will never see her. I will never see her … it will always hurt," Mucielouise's mother, Jennifer, said.
“I got to stay humble for them," Jennifer went on to say, referring to her grandchildren. "And be positive for them. Cause you can’t never take the place of they mother.”
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This tragic family loss became all the more devastating because the Bostic family had to find out about it on a local media blog.
They rushed to University Hospital for information but they were told there was no record of Muciekouise in the system. As of Thursday morning, they had not received a single phone call or visit from police telling them what happened.
"If they had this incident, why would they not tell the parent?" Jennifer said. "You be up all night long. Over 24 hours.”
News
The Bostic family was next instructed to reach out to the medical examiner’s office but they were told it has to be done through email. They couldn’t understand why someone can’t pick up the phone and call them. NBC 4 New York reached out to the state medical examiner’s office but they were not available to comment after business hours.
Community activists and other local leaders from Elizabeth — where the family lives — called the Newark Police Department, but they say they keep getting the run-around. Family members haven’t even been able to identify the body as of Thursday.
“The prosecutor's office said we’re not gonna touch this they push it back down to the municipal level … municipal level no one has contacted the family," community activist James Carey said. Very,very unprofessional.”
NBC 4 New York reached out to Newark police who confirmed the accident happened around 1:30 Monday morning. They said a car lost control and slammed into this building. However, they did not say anything about family notification.
“How can she properly mourn or prepare to bury her child when she doesn’t know …she doesn’t know what’s going on," Carey said.
However, in the middle of News 4 New York working on this story, an update occurred. The Bostic family finally heard from police Thursday night after our inquiries. Police say they were originally trying to contact a family member in Newark but couldn’t get through.
Now the Bostics can begin the process of planning a funeral, but they say no family should have to wait this long to find out about the death of a loved one.
“It’s no consideration. No feelings no more," Jennifer said.
