NYPD Hunts for Driver Who Hit, Killed Chef in Union Square

The executive chef less than a month away from getting married died Wednesday, less than a day after he was hit by an SUV while walking in a crosswalk in Union Square earlier this week, according to the NYPD.

Thirty-four-year-old Adrian Blanc was killed after being run down by a turning SUV as he crossed East 14th Street at about 1 a.m. Tuesday, according to the NYPD.

Footage from the scene released by police shows the SUV -- a Jeep Renegade -- heading down an empty East 14th Street and quickly making a turn onto Union Square East. That's when the SUV clips the man, knocking him to the ground.

The vehicle doesn't appear to slow down -- but its brake lights briefly come on -- as it drags Blanc a few feet before speeding off.

His older brother, Agner Blanc, said the 34-year-old was an executive chef at Hill and Bay, a restaurant in Murray Hill, and was on his way home from his shift when he was hit.

"He had his whole future, his whole life ahead of him," said Agner Blanc.

The family said it's especially hard to lose Adrian Blanc because the man was less than a month away from a destination wedding in Venezuela.

"He wanted kids, he loved my kid so much," said Agner Blanc. "I was actually with him on Sunday, he was playing with my son. And ... it’s just ... I’m at a loss for words."

Police sources tell News 4 New York that the SUV has been found, but the driver behind the wheel remains on the loose.

The hit-and-run comes as the city council approved a bill targeting hit-and-run drivers. It will work much like an Amber Alert -- after the crash information about the vehicle will go out to the public immediately.