Bicyclist, music producer hit by truck’s blown tire dies

WAYNE — Music producer and teacher James DeSalvo has died from injuries suffered when he was hit by a blown tire that came off a dump truck while he rode his bicycle.

The tire blew off a truck carrying a full load of asphalt and rolled down Black Oak Ridge Road in Wayne, toward DeSalvo, around 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 11, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes. DeSalvo, a township resident, was taken to St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson, where he died Monday night, according to a release from Valdes on Tuesday.

"Tonight, surrounded by his father Jack Sr., brother Jack Jr., and holding the hand of Cat, his loving wife of 20 years, James John DeSalvo departed this life and reunited with his beloved mother Kathleen in that special place he liked to call 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,'" Ruth Ozbolt Cleary wrote on the GoFundMe page she created to assist his family.

Cleary wrote on her Facebook page that during DeSalvo's time in the hospital, his 20th wedding anniversary and his son's 14th birthday took place.

DeSalvo was a songwriter, music producer, and teacher who had worked with a range of clients from Jackson Browne, pro wrestler Chris Jericho, Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC, and Yes lead singer Jon Anderson to projects for MTV and the History Channel, according to the website for his company.

No charges have been filed against truck driver Eugene Petitt, 68, of Staten Island, and the investigation into the incident remains active and ongoing, according to Valdes.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ.

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