STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --- A 29-year-old bicyclist has died after a hit-and-run driver slammed into him in Grymes Hill near Wagner College this evening, according to police.

The bicyclist, who was carrying a backpack with a Wagner College folder and a large textbook inside, has been identified by police, but authorities will not release his name pending notification of his family. Police are looking for a black SUV or pickup truck, possibly a newer-model Dodge, with its front grill missing.

The bicyclist was struck at about 9:13 p.m. on Howard Avenue, on a curved stretch of road between Highland and Grand avenues.

Neighbors heard a bang, and when they ran out, they saw the man on the ground, his mangled reddish-orange bicycle on the street.

"He landed on his chest. He was totally unresponsive," said Mary Ellen Tarangelo, who lives on Howard. "He moved not one iota, nothing."

The cyclist’s possessions were scattered across the road by the impact — one of his shoes was knocked off and, Ms. Tarangelo said, his phone and backpack landed in separate spots along the street.

"We were out here in a minute. there must have been 12 people calling 911. He didn’t move," she said. "It’s very very horrible. I don’t know how you’d just hit someone and take off."

He was rushed to Richmond University Medical Center in West Brighton in critical condition, and was pronounced dead later this evening, according to an NYPD spokesman.

Police blocked off a stretch of Howard Avenue as they investigated until 11:15 tonight, turning away several drivers who tried to pass through the scene of the accident, oblivious to the road flares placed across the street.

Anyone with information about the hit-and-run driver may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS (8477); visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com on the Web; or send text tips to CRIMES (274637), then enter TIP577.