Jefferson Man Killed In Crash 'Loving Father,' Moved to U.S. for Kids

Amir Khan gave up everything for his three children to move the the United States from Pakistan two years ago. He wanted them to live the "American dream."

But the 52-year-old Jefferson man's life had a tragic ending last week when he was struck by a van and killed while walking along Route 15. Police said Khan was pronounced dead at the scene after he was struck by a 2010 Ford van driven by Marcus Cintron, 41, of Jefferson, who was traveling south on the highway near the intersection of Tierney Road.

Khan's sister-in-law, Shaista Zareen, said she thinks Khan was walking home from work at the time of the incident. Khan devoted most of his time working at the Shell Service Station on Route 15 in Lake Hopatcong to support his three kids and wife, who were living in Elmwood Park.

"He was the only provider of his family," Zareen said. "He had American dreams. He wanted his kids to be engineers, doctors. He was working hard, saving every penny for them."

Khan had searched for a while for a job and finally found one in Jefferson where he devoted his long days just to provide income for his family. He was living in a room of an apartment in Jefferson with other co-workers from the gas station, and was only able to see his family one or two days a week when he traveled by bus to the Bergen County town. 

Shell Gas Station owner Harbvhajan Singh said he hired Khan about a month ago soon after Superstorm Sandy hit. He said he saw Khan the day he died when he came into the station at around 9 a.m. that morning to check up on things, but had left well before the incident.

Singh described Khan as "honest" and a "very hard worker."

"He was a good guy, no doubt," he said. "He was soft-speaking. I had no problem with him the last few weeks he started working here."

Zareen also described Khan as soft-spoken, and never raised his voice about anything despite the hardships he and his family were facing.

"He was a nice person, a very, very nice person," she said. "He was a hard worker, and he was fulfilling his dreams for his kids. He wanted to do everything for his kids, for his family. He was not living his life for himself."

Khan had plans to save up money to get his three kids, two of whom are in 11th grade and one in ninth, through college.

"That's why he was working hard," she said. "He wanted his kids to get a good education in school, and then after that he wanted [them to have] a good career, a good life for his kids."

Zareen said the Khans had a small funeral service for their family here on Friday, but his body was flown on Saturday to Pakistan to have another service where most of his immediate family lives.

Police said .