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Avon Morgan, 38, was brought to Hackensack University Medical Center after his cycle collided with an SUV at Essex Street and East Railroad Avenue around 4 p.m. July 29, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said.
He was later pronounced dead at the hospital, said Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella, whose Fatal Accident Unit is investigating the cause of the crash.
Firefighters extricated the SUV driver, who was also brought to HUMC after complaining of neck pain. No summonses were immediately issued.
"Avon will be missed by everyone who had the opportunity to know him," the prosecutor's office wrote in a pair of social media posts on Facebook and Instagram. "Please keep Avon’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time."
It's a measure of the man that Morgan earned tremendous respect from defense attorneys on the other side of the table.
He had strong litigation skills and what many in the justice system agreed was an exceptionally likable personality.
"Avon was such a gentleman and excellent example of what it meant to be an assistant prosecutor," defense attorney Anthony J. Iacullo said. "As a former member of that office, I send out my condolences as a colleague and adversary who respected his abilities and commitment to justice."
A Teaneck native who lived in Ridgewood, Morgan joined the prosecutor's Office in November 2016 and most recently worked in Musella's grand jury unit presenting cases.
He previously was an administrative specialist with the Superior Court and got his J.D. degree from New York Law School.
"No one could dislike Avon. It was impossible," defense attorney Adam Lustberg said. "I've never heard anyone say a bad word about him.
"He always had a smile on his face -- literally," Lustberg added. "He was one of the most genuinely likable people I've ever met."
"Avon was one of the nicest people in the office. Soft-spoken and humble," wrote retired BCPO Lt. James Brazofsky.
"I sat in the office next to him. I got to see him almost every day," he added. "He always had a kind word for everyone who had the pleasure of meeting him.
"I got to talk to him Monday when he called me out of the blue. It was like no time had passed since we last spoke. Happy and full of life," Brazofsky wrote. "He had a bright future ahead of him."
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