NEW YORK – Nassau County authorities, on Long Island, New York, announced an arrest related to the death of rapper Nicki Minaj’s father, who was struck to death by a hit and run driver in this county less than a week agoa law enforcement source with knowledge of the case told our sister network News 4 on Wednesday.
Robert Maraj, 64, was reportedly walking down a highway in Mineola, Long Island, at 6:15 pm on Friday when he was hit by a car and the driver fled the scene. Maraj was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead on Saturday.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Det. Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick, commander of the Nassau Police Homicide Squad, said the car apparently involved was a 1992 white Volvo pickup.
Charles Polevich, 70, who has no criminal record and turned himself in to police, will be charged with leaving the scene of a car accident with a fatality and tampering with evidence because, according to Fitzpatrick, he took the vehicle involved in the incident and I try to hide it.
After the incident occurred, the police searched the area of the incident for evidence, including surveillance video. Because the vehicle allegedly involved in the hit-and-run is distinctive because it is an older model, Fitzpatrick said police were able to trace it before and after the incident, ultimately leading them to their driver.
Fitzpatrick stressed that if Polevich, a Guam citizen who owns a home in Mineola, were to stay at the scene, he would likely not face charges in connection with the incident.
Information from Polevich’s attorney was not immediately known.
Nicki Minaj, 38, was born in Trinidad and raised in Queens, New York City.
Fitzpatrick said police have been in constant contact with Maraj’s family regarding the incident. Minaj has not made any public statements regarding her father’s death. An email seeking comment was sent to a Minaj representative.
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