After two years, Nikki’s
memorial comes down

By Lauren Fritsky
Times Staff Writer

After more than two years, a roadside memorial for a young Northeast native killed by a drunken driver has been removed.
On Saturday, the family of Nikki Schwartz dismantled the memorial, erected on a tree on the 9500 block of northbound State Road.
The 21-year-old woman was killed on Nov. 21, 2004 when a car struck her as she was standing near her own vehicle on the side of the road. She died instantly.
Matthew Rowan, the young driver responsible for Nikki’s death, pleaded guilty to homicide by vehicle while driving while under the influence and was sentenced to four to eight years in state prison in October 2005.
Since the accident, stuffed animals, pictures and other commemorative items had mounted on the tree near where she was killed.
Residents living near the site began writing into the Northeast Times in October 2006 calling for the memorial’s removal. Other readers wrote in to say that the memorial should stay up. Philadelphia has no laws regarding roadside memorials.
After the Times reported on the controversy on Jan. 25, the Fairmount Park Commission said the memorial needed to come down because it was attached to a street tree. Officials at the commission said some of the nails used to keep the memorial in place were damaging the tree.
The commission then gave the Schwartz family a few weeks to remove any part of the memorial touching the tree.
While upset with the decision, the family is now working with City Councilwoman Joan Krajewski (D-6th dist.) to get a marker erected at the accident site, but not on the tree.
"She’s a Northeast Philly girl. It’s a shame what happened," said Patty-Pat Kozlowski, a legislative aide to Krajewski who is working with the family.
Nikki’s family is designing what the new memorial will look like. They’ve discussed including Nikki’s image, her favorite color pink and something related to soccer, a sport she played avidly.
Nikki’s grandparents, aunt and two uncles helped remove the original memorial Saturday. The process took about an hour.
Tracey Schwartz-Corsey, Nikki’s aunt and the maintainer of the memorial, said drivers stopped to comfort the family as they took down the memorial.
"People were honking their horns. One man said, ‘We just want to tell you good luck with everything,’" Schwartz-Corsey said.
She said the family plans to keep some of the memorial items for themselves, including the numerous pictures of Nikki posted there. Krajewski’s office has pledged to have the new marker erected by Dec. 10, which would have been Nikki’s 25th birthday.
The family is also planning a memorial walk for sometime in the spring. The proceeds will go toward a scholarship fund at Nikki’s alma mater, Bensalem High School.
But the focus remains on honoring Nikki at the spot where her life ended.
"We just want Nikki’s memorial to go up," Schwartz-Corsey said. "Hopefully it all goes well." ••
Reporter Lauren Fritsky can be reached at 215-354-3038 or lfritsky@phillynews.com