(Updated on Wednesday) Jana Minor has died from her injuries after a car crashed into her on Orange Street Monday night. Minor, 67, was a library assistant at the downtown Ives branch of the New Haven Free Public Library. The Ives Main Library will be closed on Wednesday, according to a soci al media post, to allow Minor’s colleagues time to grieve. In an email to library employees sent out at 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, City Librarian Maria Bernhey said, “I know this is very difficult news for our entire library team, and Jana’s family is in our thoughts.” A driver hit Minor while she was crossing Orange Street between Elm and Court on Monday just before 5 p.m. She had been on a break from her shift at the downtown library at the time of the collision, according to Bernhey. She also said that a meal train and a GoFundMe “should be coming out shortly.” According to Police Chief David Zannelli, the driver of the car performed CPR on Minor before an ambulance arrived to take her to the hospital. Zannelli said on Wednesday that police are still investigating the crash; he said that police have not made any arrests in this case and, as of now, they do not anticipate making any arrests. Minor had been a library assistant in New Haven since 2022. She primarily worked at the circulation desk, said her Ives colleague and Reference Manager Seth Godfrey. He said that she also had a love of history and was “helping out our local history room.” According to Godfrey, Minor was a “lovely” person who was “always caring about folks here” at the library. She was an animal lover who cares deeply about her dog. She resided blocks away from the downtown library, Godfrey said, and loved “being part of the downtown scene.” A few days ago, Godfrey recalled bringing in persimmons that he’d gathered from trees at a Yale parking lot. Not all of his colleagues were “persimmon-aware,” he said, but Minor knew how to tell which ones were ripe. “She’s from California,” said Godfrey. “She had a friend who used to grow persimmons, so she was elated that I brought them in.” Godfrey also remembered that Minor once found a microwave left behind by a tenant in her building. She carried the appliance to the library so that her colleagues could use it. “It’s obviously a very difficult time,” said Bernhey. “It’s a tough thing to navigate on top of some of the other challenges that we’ve experienced in the last few months,” including a recent fatal stabbing of a former library worker’s brother outside Ives. Bernhey said that Minor’s colleagues, “in true library-staff-member fashion, have already asked about what they can do to help and are already looking for ways to support.” “It’s heartbreaking to see this happen to such a wonderful person and who has been such an important part of our community,” wrote Mayor Justin Elicker, who visited the scene of the crash on Monday night, in a statement. “The driver stayed on scene and the Police Crash Team is investigating, interviewing witnesses and pulling camera footage. We have been working hard to implement traffic calming measures and improve pedestrian safety. While we have made progress, tonight’s incident and other recent loss of life emphasize we have more work to do.” At the scene on Monday night, the driver of the car, a man in his 20s, remained on the scene and cooperated with police. City Auditor Pat Solomon stayed with the driver, who broke down into tears while calling relatives, including his mom. Westville Alder Amy Marx, who had called 9-1-1 after hearing the collision from her nearby fourth floor office at New Haven Legal Assistance Association, brought him chips and water. The driver was “distraught” and “terrified,” Solomon said, and “most concerned about whether or not he took somebody’s life.” She was able to call a therapist “who came in to do something around the trauma with the individual and his parents and an aunt.” Solomon said that she believes that stretch of Orange Street is too dark and would benefit from more lighting. Meanwhile, Elicker noted in an interview that Monday was the day after Daylight Saving Time ended, meaning that more people are “commuting at a time when it’s dark out” and adjusting to a new schedule. This article was originally published on Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 5:06 p.m. that stated Jana Minor was in critical condition. An updated version was published on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 2:10 p.m. after Minor died. The post Librarian Dies After Downtown Crash appeared first on New Haven Independent. ...read more read less