Arben Hoti’s parents always thought he’d go to college. His father, Hasan, and his mother, Sheri, left Kosovo for the United States in 1980. Like many immigrants, they hoped their three children would use higher education as a springboard to success.

“But college wasn’t for Arben,” said Hasan. “He left after less than one month. He was going to do what he was going to do.” Arben got a job in construction and in the building his father manages. Hasan said his son was adventurous, the kind of guy who filled his leisure time with snowboarding and bungee jumping. “A good son,” Hasan said. “But not so much a good college student.”

Arben fell in love with motorcycles and spent much of his spare time fixing, repairing and riding bikes. Last year, he decided to go back to school and got a diploma in motorcycle repair. His dream was to open his own shop.

He was part of the Lost Boyz Motorcycle club on the Lower East Side and was riding with his childhood friend, Ish, on the night he died.