Husband, Friends, Remember Jogger Who Died After Being Struck By Car

Michael Schwartz said Tuesday morning began just like any other, when he said good-bye to his wife Ruby, not knowing that he would never see her again.

"I said good-bye and gave her a kiss," he said. 

Ruby Schwartz, 43, left her Manorville home Tuesday morning to go for a jog and died after being struck by a teenage driver; the 17-year-old was not charged after the accident.

Police say the 17-year-old driver was in a 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier heading south on Chapman Boulevard when his vehicle swerved to the right and struck Schwartz, who was jogging northbound at 7:35 a.m., police said. Schwartz was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Schwartz and his son, Brandon, 12, and family members are "devastated," he said. "It was the worst day."

Remembering his wife, Schwartz said Ruby was always smiling and upbeat. "She would light up a room," he said, his voice breaking. The couple were married for 17 years before moving to Manorville from Baiting Hollow.

Ruby worked as a fitness instructor and personal trainer at Debbie Neuberger's "To the Core Pilates" studio in Westhampton Beach. 

"Ruby was a fitness and health enthusiast," Neuberger said. "Always positive, upbeat and kind. She loved to shock us with her crazy colored hair -- pink, purple, orange."

Ruby Schwartz is remembered, first and foremost, as a mother to her son, Brandon, loved ones say.

"He was her life," Schwartz said. "He was everything to her."

Neuberger echoed Schwartz's thoughts about her love for her child. "She was my good friend and right hand," Neuberger said. "The world is a better place because of her. She touched everyone's lives. I will forever be waiting to hear 'what's up?' in her crazy voice," she said.

Schwartz said his wife had many friends, in every corner of her life. "Everyone she met was her friend," he said. "She was absolutely the most positive woman ever."

Speonk resident Lisa Fox said friends were shocked to hear of the accident. "It's heart-wrenching. This really is a tragedy. I am heartsick -- this is a major loss for a lot of people."

Fox added that Ruby loved her dog, Star, and will forever be remembered for her enthusiastic, caring nature. "She had a heart of gold."

According to Suffolk County Police Seventh Squad detectives, an investigation is ongoing regarding the motor vehicle crash that killed Schwartz.

The vehicle was impounded for a safety check. Detectives are asking anyone with information on the crash to call the Seventh Squad at 631-852-8752.