MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – Organizers say the purpose of this weekend’s memorial ride is to mourn the death of Alex Pretti at the hands of U.S. Border Patrol agents and to celebrate his life.

‘An advocate for getting people to ride bicycles’

What we know:

Alex Pretti was an avid outdoorsman who loved mountain biking and was a customer at Angry Catfish Bicycle Shop in South Minneapolis.

Now the community Pretti rolled with in group rides around the Twin Cities is ready to roll for him.

“Alex is a cyclist, and if you’re a cyclist, you’re part of this community,” said Jerrod Alder, “director of stoke” at Angry Catfish.

‘In this together’

The backstory:

Angry Catfish is helping organize a 10-mile bike ride in Pretti’s honor this Saturday with stops at Pretti’s memorial at 26th and Lyndale and Renee Good’s memorial at 34th and Portland avenue, before ending with a moment of silence at the Minneapolis VA hospital where Pretti worked as an ICU nurse.

“I think someone that is that cheerful and loving and has touched so many people needs to be honored,” said Alder.

Organizers say the cycling community has many spokes, and similar memorial rides are being planned in more than a half dozen other cities around the country, including New York, Boston and Atlanta, with more possibly on the way, both to mourn Pretti and to show solidarity with his mission of getting ICE out of Minnesota.

“Folks have asked how many people do you anticipate showing up? And I think it’s between 50 and 1,000 people. Minnesota shows up no matter the weather,” said Alder.

‘A respectful human being’

What they’re saying:

Organizers say there’s no better way to mourn the loss of someone who was so caring than to do something he loved.

“Bicycles are magic. We think it’s important in this moment to share that magic with the world,” said Alder.

Dig deeper:

Organizers say the memorial ride for Alex Pretti will meet at Washburn Fair Oaks Park, across the street from the Minneapolis Institute Of Arts, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 31.

The ride will begin at 1:30 p.m.

HAGERSTOWN, Ind. (WISH) — Two people died Monday night in the crash of a semitractor-trailer and a passenger vehicle in northwestern Wayne County, the sheriff told News 8.

Sheriff Randy Retter said the crash happened on State Road 1 near Charles Road. That’s about 4 miles west of the town of Economy and 4.5 miles north of the town of Hagerstown.

Wayne County was under a travel watch on Monday night, although it was not immediately known if wintry conditions on the road played any role in the crash. The sheriff did not have any other information that could immediately be shared at 10:15 p.m. Monday.

Indiana Department of Transportation issued an alert to travelers just before 8:45 p.m. Monday that State Road 1 was closed in both directions for a crash between Pierce Road and Charles Road. That closing remained in place as of 10:30 p.m. Monday.

FOWLER TOWNSHIP, Ohio — The Ohio State Highway Patrol said Sunday that a man died in Trumbull County after he was hit by a snowplow while riding a snowmobile. 

OSHP said at around 6:26 p.m., officers were dispatched to the intersection of SR 305 and Ridge Road in Fowler Township. 

Richard Coelho Jr., 49, of Vienna, was going south on Ridge Road on a 1999 Ski-Doo snowmobile. Dale Onstott, 45, of Hartford, was heading west on SR 305 while operating a salt/plow truck.

Coelho came to a stop in the intersection, beyond the stop sign, OSHP said. He was then struck by the plow, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. 

Onstott wasn’t injured, OSHP said. 

The crash is under investigation.