The mother of a young lawyer killed in a suspected hit-and-run has broken her silence, saying she died the moment her beloved son died.
Mitch East, 28, was found with serious head and chest injuries by a passerby in Fletcher Street, Tamarama, shortly after 4am on Sunday.
The young lawyer, who studied at Harvard Law School, was reportedly dropped off by an Uber just moments before he was struck.
Mr East’s broken mother described the loss of her only child as “unbearable”.
“He was my only child, my reason for living,” she said Thing.
“I died when he died. The pain is unbearable. So I just can’t think clearly to speak sorry.
She described her son as “a good person with a good heart.”
Mr East’s devastated family arrived in Sydney from their home country of New Zealand on Sunday to support their heartbroken partner.
Mitch East, 28, was found with serious head and chest injuries by a passerby in Fletcher Street, Tamarama, just after 4am on Sunday.
Mr East’s mother (pictured in green) said the pain of losing her son was “unbearable”. She is seen arriving at her son’s apartment building after traveling to Australia from New Zealand.
Mr East’s mother and his girlfriend were seen outside the couple’s unit on Fletcher Street on Monday as grieving friends stopped to lay flowers.
Mr East studied law in his home country, securing notable positions as a senior advisor to the Royal Commission into the Christchurch Terrorist Attack and as a lawyer with major national law firm Meredith Connell.
He moved to Australia around 2022 to work for his current employer, major company Arnold Bloch Leibler, which has an office in the Sydney CBD.
A spokesperson for Arnold Bloch Leibler told Daily Mail Australia that all staff were informed of the tragedy by email on Monday morning.
Police are still searching for the driver of a white Subaru Outback which was spotted in the area on CCTV around the same time as the crash.
The young lawyer, who studied at Harvard Law School, was reportedly dropped off by an Uber moments before he was struck.
Police are still searching for the driver of a white Subaru Outback which was spotted in the area on CCTV around the same time as the crash (photo, police on scene Monday)
NSW Police Inspector Jason Hogan urged the driver to come forward.
“It’s a cowardly act to leave after colliding with another human being,” he told 7News.
“They really need to go to their local police station before we knock on their door.”
Inspector Hogan said officers were canvassing local areas, businesses and transport companies to obtain further footage which could identify more clues.
Residents reported hearing a car alarm going off and a loud bang at the time of the crash, and any other witnesses were urged to contact police.
A GoFundMe has raised almost $90,000 for Mr East’s family as they “attempt to come to terms with the grief of losing someone so loved”.
A GoFundMe has raised almost $90,000 for Mr East’s family as they ‘try to come to terms with the grief of losing someone so dear’
