Waldemar González was arrested on suspicion of fatally running over Alex Fakih in Staten Island (NYC), leaving four orphaned children.
Fakih, 49, was out for his nightly walk on Thursday in the tompkinsville neighborhood when he was struck at St. Julian Place and Van Duzer St. by a hit-and-run driver, around 9:30 p.m. He died at Richmond University Medical Center about five hours later.
González, 65, rammed him with his blue 2004 Ford pickup and was stopped a short distance from the scene of the accident, according to the police. Driver was operating with a suspended license at least 11 times.
He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.
“I was in the room with him when he passed away,” he told the Daily News the distraught wife of the victim, Janet Fakih (48). “They were trying to resuscitate him… I still can’t believe it.” She added that her husband was a well-known and well-liked figure in the neighborhood.
González acknowledged having left the scene and blamed the fatal accident on the victim.according to a criminal complaint. “It’s not my fault,” she said. “You know it came out (of the) sidewalk. I couldn’t stop…I hit him.”
In addition to gun violencetraffic accidents are another big challenge for the new mayor Eric Adams, after a dismal legacy from his predecessor, Bill De Blasio. New York City has experienced a 35% increase in traffic accidents so far this year, stated NYPD in mid-April. At the end of that month there was a tragic streak in NYC at an average of one person killed by a run over every day.
