N.J. woman who cleaned a gym to support her family fatally hit by truck as she walked to work – NJ.com

As head of maintenance at Signature Fitness gym in Belleville, Ximena Aguilar was one of the first people to greet members when they walked through the doors.

Aguilar cleaned up their messes and – in the age of COVID-19 – reminded them to wear their masks, even on the treadmill, according to her boss, Warren Feldman.

“She was a tough woman, but she did everything with a humor that people respected,” said Feldman, who owns the 55,000-square foot gym.

Aguilar was struck by a garbage truck and killed shortly before 2 p.m. Wednesday about a block from the gym as she walked to work in the area of Washington Avenue and Little Street. The married mother of three died at the scene.

The truck driver waited for police to arrive and was not charged. Detectives with the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office continue to investigate.

Feldman said Aguilar had been employed by the gym for about three years and was a hard worker. “She was strong but personable. She could do anything asked of her,” he said.

In the days since the accident, many of the gym’s 7,000-plus members have stopped by the front desk to offer condolences and tell fond stories about the woman who worked so hard but always smiled and had time to chat.

“At 44 years old, she had decades to go. Our whole company is grieving, the members are grieving,” Feldman said. “We lost a diamond of a woman. We lost a really well-loved person.”

A GoFundMe page established to help Aguilar’s family had raised more than $10,000 of a $50,000 goal as of Friday afternoon.

Feldman said he hopes Aguilar’s death will not be in vain. “If anything comes out of this tragedy, I think it’s that people should just slow down,” Feldman said.

A gym security camera that captured the accident appears to show that Aguilar was in the crosswalk when she was hit, he said.

“(Drivers) have a 100% obligation to yield to people in the crosswalk. You go into the crosswalk, you’ve got to yield to the pedestrian.”

Aguilar is survived by her husband, Darwin, and three children, David, Maria and Andres. Funeral arrangements had not been announced as of Friday afternoon.

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Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.