Wife of motorist run over and killed in road rage attack reject claims he slashed driver's tires

The wife of a driver who was run over and killed after a fender bender turned deadly has rejected claims he slashed the other driver's tires. 

Roberto Alvarez, 54, died after allegedly being ran over by 26-year-old Andrew Mosby after an altercation on Wednesday.  

Officials say the incident began as a minor traffic accident on East 60th Street in Manhattan between a Chevrolet Silverado and a Volkswagen Jetta just after 4 p.m. Wednesday.

The Volkswagen's driver, Mosby, was accompanied by a woman and three small children in his car, police said.

Authorities say Roberto Alvarez got out of his Chevrolet Silverado when the two cars hit each other, and slashed the tires of Mosby's car.

Alvarez's wife Alex Garcia has hit back at the claims he slashed the tires, telling the New York Post 'this does not make any sense'.

Alvarez, pictured here with his wife Alex, who has said she doesn't believe her husband had attacked the vehicle, saying it 'doesn't make sense'

Mosby is said to have hit the accelerator and mowed down Alvarez, pinning him against a cafe wall 

Mosby, was accompanied by a woman and three small children in his car, police said 

Speaking to the outlet, she continued: 'He's a great person, a great husband, a great father.Everybody loves him.'

She also told the outlet she couldn't believe her husband had been involved in such a violent confrontation, saying: 'He eats oranges or apples in the car when he gets hungry. 

'He peels the orange and cuts the apple with the small pocket knife. That's the only knife I know.

'When they tell me, I say, 'That's not my husband!' That's not the man I've been married to for 28 years.

'Ask his friends, his family, his boss, his neighbors. Everyone will tell you the same.'

Garcia continued: 'I don't know about [the claim that he] cut the tire. But if he sees the kids, no. I never saw my husband like this, no.

'For me, justice is to have my husband back.Robert worked so hard to make sure his son could have it better, leaving [at] 3, 4 in the morning, coming home [at] 7, 8 at night. Sometimes working 24 hours.

'He wanted to see his son get [to] the graduation.'

His son, Steven Velez Garcia also told the Post: 'I'm still in shock. It doesn't feel real to me.'

Police said that Mosby accelerated rapidly and struck Alvarez pinning him against a building facade. 

Officers arrived on the scene and say they observed Alvarez laying on the sidewalk with trauma to his body. 

He was then taken to New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornel Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased.

Alvarez, pictured here with his wife Alex, was rushed to hospital by emergency teams but was pronounced dead shortly after

Police said that Mosby accelerated rapidly and struck Alvarez pinning him against a building facade

Alvarez had been travelling in his Chevrolet Silverado at the time of the incident on Wednesday

One witness told the New York Post that he was likely trying to protect the children inside the car from Alvarez who is said to have been wielding a knife.

Witness Betina Sisi told abc7: 'I just saw the guy stopped the car, gets out of the car, argues, gets back to the car, grabs a knife, goes back, flattens the back tire, the front one, goes in front of the car.

The wall that Alvarez had been pinned against was boarded up today following the incident 

Alvarez is pictured here with his son Steven, right, and wife Alex, who he had been married to for 28 years

Officers arrived on the scene and say they observed Alvarez laying on the sidewalk with trauma to his body

'The next thing that happens the driver literally goes through him. What would you expect, what would be your reaction if you had your family in the car. 

'He was blocking and he couldn't get out of the space, what would you do?'

Jorge Hernandez witnessed the incident, telling New York Daily News: 'The gentleman was on the floor. I can't believe he ran him down.

'He was yelling at the guy under the car. He was under the bumper from the chest down. He was still conscious. He was trying to reach for his cell phone

According to Hernandez, a group of people lifted the car off Alvarez and pulled him out from underneath. 

Another man told NBC New York: 'He should not [be charged], he was trying to protect his family.'