Seventy-year-old Charles Polevich will be charged with leaving the scene of an accident with a fatality and tampering with evidence. He does not have a criminal history or “any driving license history,” police told ABC News.
The victim, 64-year-old Robert Maraj, was struck by a 1992 Volvo as he walked in the northbound roadway of Roslyn Road in the Mineola neighborhood Friday night at around 6:15 p.m. He was taken to a local hospital where he eventually succumbed to his injuries and passed away on Saturday.
Police said was a “significant amount of snow” where Maraj was walking in the road, and they believe he was walking home or to a local store.
Police say Polevich, who was driving northbound, stopped following the crash. He fled “once he saw he injured this person,” Nassau Police Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said. “He was absolutely aware of what happened. He got out of the car, he looked at the deceased, got into his car and made conscious decision to leave.”
Nassau police scoured the neighborhood for surveillance cameras, tracking the older model vehicle to Polevich’s house, Fitzpatrick said, who added the suspect “took his car and did things to secrete his car from being found by police,” keeping it in his garage and covering it up. Fitzpatrick said Polevich hadn’t yet had the opportunity to make repairs.
By Ken Simmons
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