East Village punk rocker Lisa “Spike” Julian was killed early on Thurs., March 27, after being hit by an S.U.V. while she was crossing the street near Cooper Square.
Julian, 47, was crossing at St. Mark’s Place and Third Ave., around 6:30 a.m., when the Ford Explorer, driven by a newspaper deliveryman who’d just finished his rounds, slammed into her, police said. She was pronounced dead shortly after being taken to Beth Israel Hospital.
The driver, Oliver Parris, 58, reportedly stayed at the scene, and told authorities that he had the green light while Julian was passing through the intersection, and that he’d tried unsuccessfully to swerve away from her. Parris wasn’t charged with any crimes, police said.
Julian, who lived at E. Seventh St. and Avenue D, was known to frequent Tompkins Square Park for rock concerts and for hanging out, and was friendly with many within the radical East Village crowd.
“She did not deserve to go out this way,” wrote fellow East Villager Chris Flash, publisher of The SHADOW, in a Facebook post honoring Julian hours after her death. “She was definitely wild and over-the-top at times, but she was a good soul, lots of fun and a true L.E.S. character.”
