Wantagh resident, 22, fatally struck by Nassau police vehicle remembered by mom as 'beautiful' person

The mother of a 22-year-old Wantagh resident who died after being struck by a Nassau police vehicle while crossing the street Friday morning recalled the first time her youngest child found the courage to try on a dress.

It was just a simple beige gown, mom Mary Anne Marman recalled, but the tears that flowed from mother and child underscored the significance for a transgender person who struggled to feel comfortable with her body.

"I said, ‘You’re beautiful,’ ” Marman said of the recent occasion. "She was so nervous and she so longed for somebody to make her feel good and make her feel appreciated ... She was trying to find her way and she was getting there."

The victim, identified by police as Marc Salomone, was a transgender woman who went by the name Morgan since coming out two years ago, Marman said.

Salomone was struck by the marked police vehicle while attempting to walk west across Wantagh Avenue at the intersection of Duckpond Drive North at about 6:30 a.m. Friday, Nassau County police said in a news release. Salomone suffered multiple injuries and was pronounced dead at a hospital roughly 30 minutes later.

Nassau police said the fatal crash is being investigated by the homicide division. The office of New York State Attorney General Letitia James said its Office of Special Investigation has also launched a query into the death, as is standard with officer-involved fatalities.

At the time of the crash, Salomone, a college student who did not drive and a part-time employee at a local Stop & Shop, was walking 2½ miles to work from her parents' home, Marman said.

A Nassau police spokesperson on Sunday did not address Newsday questions about the circumstances around the crash, including about the speed of the vehicle, where the crash occurred in the intersection or whether Salomone was crossing against the light.

Marman and her husband, Steve Marman, of Wantagh, who was Salomone’s stepfather, said detectives told them Salomone was struck in the southbound lanes of Wantagh Avenue, leading the couple to believe their child was more than halfway across the street. They said police wanted to know if Salomone was wearing earbuds while walking.

The Marmans said they have hired an attorney, Larry Kramer, of Mineola, to help them learn more about the crash. They intend to seek police video, they said.

"I need to know minute by minute what happened to her," Mary Anne Marman said. "We’re going to have a lot of questions."

Kramer has been using social media to ask for witnesses. He and the family also plan to canvass the area for businesses and homes with surveillance cameras.

"Nobody knows the facts," said Kramer, who welcomed the attorney general's investigation. "The police haven’t shared what they have at this point. In my experience, when there’s an ongoing investigation, until there’s a conclusion, they don’t share the video."

The tragedy came as Salomone appeared to find a new direction in life after having difficulties in school, the parents said.

After studying biology and pharmacology at Nassau Community College, Salomone enrolled in a sketch class and became interested in pursuing a career in art, Marman said.

Talking nonstop about Salomone to a network of family and friends that has not left her side has helped the mother deal with the pain of the crash, she said.

One favorite story to tell is the time Salomone, who Marman said was "always trying to do good," found a mouse struggling in the family pool.

"She picked it up and made sure it got to safety," Marman said.

The mother called Salomone a "good-natured, good-hearted person" who was a fan of anime and enjoyed playing "Dungeons and Dragons" online.

"As long as I’m talking about her, that’s what’s helping me get through, keeping her memory alive," Marman said. "I want people to know about her. She meant something to this world and I want her to know that."

A wake and funeral service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday at Charles J. O'Shea Funeral Home in Wantagh, the family said.

With Michael O'Keeffe