You are reading

‘Everyone loved Dolma’: Community gathers at candlelight vigil held for girl who was killed while crossing Astoria intersection

More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil in Astoria Thursday, March 2, to honor the life of Dolma Naadhun, who was fatally struck by an SUV last month (Photos by Paul Frangipane)

March 3, 2023 By Michael Dorgan and Paul Frangipane

More than 100 people attended a candlelight vigil in Astoria Thursday, March 2, to honor the life of a girl who was fatally struck by an SUV in the neighborhood last week.

During the vigil, speakers called on residents to sign a petition to make the intersection where she died safer.

The vigil was held at PS85Q, located at 23-70 31st St., the school 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun attended before she was fatally struck by the driver of a Ford Explorer on Feb. 17. Naadhun was crossing Newtown Road and 45th Street with her mother and sister just before 6 p.m. when the driver — a 46-year-old woman — allegedly blew a stop sign and collided with her.

Naadhun’s former classmates lined the school’s front fence with white balloons to symbolize the purity of her life while other students and children in attendance left candles in front of a memorial. The memorial was erected at the entrance to the school shortly after Naadhun’s death.

Among the attendees were Naadhun’s family, educators and affiliates of PS85Q, along with state Sen. Michael Gianaris.

Naadhun’s father spoke briefly to the crowd and appealed for people to sign an online petition — created by his son — that calls for a traffic light to be erected at the intersection where she was hit. The petition also calls for traffic lights at the intersection of Newtown Road and 44th Street, as well as at Newtown Road and 46th Street.

Ann Gordon-Chang, the principal of PS85Q, said that the gathering was a celebration of Naadhun’s life and to cherish her memory.

“We’re here in the playground, a place where she often had fun, she played with her friends and it’s a good place, so we could have great memories about Dolma,” Gordon-Chang said. “We just want to have a moment to circle the family with a sense of love and community.”

Gordon-Chang said that the school is a community where people can turn in hard times. She also said it is important for residents to sign the petition.

“This is about the life of a child, this is about a community and this is a community that is here to work together to support Dolma and her family,” Gordon-Chang said.

Teachers, students, parents and children gather at PS85Q to celebrate 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun’s life on Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Children placed candles at a memorial for 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun outside PS85Q in Astoria on Thursday, March 2, 2023.(Photo by Paul Frangipane)

“It’s also about the future. It’s about other children and how do we ensure the safety of all. That is something that we can all come together and make happen.”

The rally came nearly about 10 days after local Council members Julie Won and Tiffany Cabán wrote to the DOT urging the agency to make the sidewalk wider by installing traffic lights and other traffic calming measures such as curb extensions and speed bumps.

The DOT, in a responding letter to the lawmakers, said it is exploring putting in new safety measures at the intersection.

Gianaris said that Naadhun’s family has shown incredible strength in dealing with the tragedy and that they have set an example to the community.

“We pledge everlasting support to Dolma’s family and those of us in public office have pledged to make sure we fix Newtown Road where this happened to honor her father’s request,” Gianaris said.

Laura Meletiadis, Naadhun’s second-grade teacher, said that the young girl was full of life and loved her friends and family.

“She was always happy and always smiling,” Meletiadis said. “She loved her friends and had many. Everyone loved Dolma, staff and students alike.”

Naadhun, Meletiadis said, was proud of her Tibetan roots and often spoke about the region.

“She loved it — the land, the people, the food,” Meletiadis said. “My class has really felt the absence of Dolma and we will miss her tremendously. We loved her and she will always be our friend. I pray she is at peace. I pray her family finds peace.”

Teachers, students, parents and children gather at PS85Q to celebrate 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun’s life on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Ann Gordon-Chang, principal of PS85Q, speaks at a vigil for 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun at the school in Astoria on Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Teachers, students, parents and children gather at PS85Q to celebrate 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun’s life on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

State Sen. Michael Gianaris speaks at a vigil for 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun on Thursday, March 2, 2023. (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Teachers, students, parents and children gather outside PS85Q to celebrate 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun’s life on Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Attendees at the vigil Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Attendees at the vigil Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

Teachers, students, parents and children gather at PS85Q to celebrate 7-year-old Dolma Naadhun’s life on Thursday, March 2, 2023 (Photo by Paul Frangipane)

This story was updated Monday, March 6, 2023 at 4:40 p.m.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Disgraced former Queens Council Member Dan Halloran arrested on child porn charges

Former Queens Council Member Dan Halloran, who was convicted in 2014 for his role in two bribery and corruption schemes and served five years in federal prison, is in trouble with the law again.

Halloran was arrested at Miami International Airport on Saturday, March 29, and charged with possessing child pornography and transporting child pornography after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers inspected his Apple iPhone 14 Pro Max and an Apple iPad 6th Generation tablet and discovered several videos of suspected child pornography located in a hidden folder album on the phone’s photos application, according to the criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Florida.

Southeast Queens man convicted of triple murder in 2022 stabbing rampage that killed girlfriend, her son and cousin: DA

A Jamaica man was convicted at trial Tuesday of murder in the first degree and other crimes for the vicious stabbing deaths of his girlfriend, her son and a visiting cousin during a bloody rampage in June 2022.

Travis Blake, 31, of 155th Street, faces up to life in prison at sentencing following the three-and-a-half-week-long trial. The jury deliberated for just two hours before reaching the guilty verdict in Queens Supreme Court.

Op-ed: The crisis facing immigrant gender-based violence survivors

April 2, 2025 By Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas, Zeinab Eyega and Yasmeen Hamza

As advocates who have dedicated our careers to achieving gender equity and justice, and as the representative of and service providers for some of the most culturally diverse districts in the country, we know firsthand the importance of ensuring that survivors of gender-based violence receive support that speaks to their specific needs. In Queens, where nearly 300 languages and dialects are spoken and we face the third-highest rate of reported domestic violence in New York State, the call for culturally specific services is urgent—and it is time for us to act.