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Orange County resident Anthony Apostolico, age 48, of Chester, died on Sunday, June 19, when a tree fell on top of a pickup truck that he was a passenger in.
Police said the accident happened in Rockland County on the Palisades Interstate Parkway in Stony Point.
The driver of the pickup truck, 20-year-old Vincent Apostolico, of Chester, was hospitalized in critical condition, and another passenger, a 17-year-old girl from Chester, was also hospitalized for leg injuries, police said.
Anthony was the owner of the Italian Food Center on Route 9W in West Haverstraw.
Following the crash, Anthony's loved ones shared online tributes to him.
"The guy not only knew my name but the moment I walked in he would ALWAYS flash his giant smile," the owner of Rock's Kitchen in Stony Point said in a Facebook post. "And by the time I got to the front my sandwich was already made (Italian combo with extra roast peppers). He knew what I was going to order. He would say same or the other one. I would say same."
The eatery also shared how Anthony would provide business advice.
"I loved the fact that he didn't see me as competition but saw me as a small business that could use advice," the post reads. "There aren't many people in the world that are selfless but Anthony was 100% that."
Others also shared anecdotes about Anthony's kindness and positivity.
"Always with that smile, always with the kind words, always working so hard and so proud," David Kryger said in a Facebook post. "He possessed the work ethic of 10 of us, yet never complained. Anthony would help you carry your order to your car, he would gladly give you an order on Tuesday and let you pay on Friday."
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