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Jenny, age 42, was killed in a crash in Yorktown on Friday, Jan. 3 when she was struck while walking on East Main Street near Mohegan Avenue at approximately 8:06 p.m. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead shortly after arrival, police said.
Soon after the crash, Cortlandt Manor resident Jake Barak, age 24, was arrested at his home and charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury auto accident resulting in death, a felony, Yorktown Police announced.
In the days since the tragic crash, Jenny's twin sister, Karyn, has been struggling with the realization that her "other half" is now gone, she told Daily Voice on Wednesday, Jan. 8.
"I feel like half of me has died with her," Karyn said, adding, "Our sign is Gemini, which is the sign of twins. And she was my twin soul."
According to Karyn, Jenny was a talented and creative graphic designer who graduated from the Fashion Institute of Technology in Manhattan. She was known to be "a perfectionist when it came to her art," and certainly had developed a style in her graphic design jobs for people and businesses.
"Her artwork had a lot of personality- it was always witty and amusing," Karyn said of her sister, adding that she "saw the world through a very colorful lens."
Part of Jenny's worldview was also her massive empathy and thoughtfulness for others, especially animals—she was a huge dog lover, particularly German Shepherds. However, she also liked other animals, including some many consider to be unusual pets:
"In the third grade, she begged my dad for a year straight for a Pot Belly Pig!" Karyn recalled to Daily Voice.
Jenny combined her love of animals and selflessness by working for Guiding Eyes for the Blind, a nonprofit that provides guide dogs to people with vision loss.
Along with her love of animals, Jenny also spent as much time outdoors as she could, whether that meant hiking in Hudson Valley locales like Anthony's Nose in the Hudson Highlands or South Mountain Pass.
She also had a tradition of swimming at Jones Beach on Long Island in the summer, Karyn said, adding that she is now trying to come to terms that these traditions have now ended.
"Jenny was my other half, and the thought of never being able to wish her “Happy Birthday” on our birthday or see her again—truly shatters my heart," she told Daily Voice.
"I was two minutes older and feel like half of me has died with her," she continued.
According to Yorktown Police, the investigation into the crash that resulted in Jenny's death is still ongoing. Although the department originally charged Barak with speeding and failure to use a designated lane in addition to his felony at the time of his arrest, they have since removed the two traffic infractions pending the outcome of the investigation, they announced on Tuesday, Jan. 7.
Police did not elaborate on the change. It was not clear whether or not an error was made in the investigation. The felony charge of leaving the scene still stands, though, according to the department.
Karyn condemned Barak's alleged actions, saying "I absolutely cannot believe that someone would hit someone, leave the scene, then drive away and leave them to die without helping...It hurts my heart."
Barak has since been remanded to the Westchester County Department of Corrections. He will appear in court on Thursday, Jan. 9.
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