An immigrant from El Salvador slammed her car into a 45-year-old Long Island man and left him to die on the street in a horrific hit-and-run tragedy, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Silvia Alvarez DeReyes, 46, is now being held without bail for allegedly leaving the scene of an accident and other charges in the Oct. 5 incident — and is facing deportation from federal immigration authorities, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday.
“This case underscores the serious consequences of fleeing the scene of a crash,” DA Ray Tierney said in a statement. “When someone leaves the injured behind without contacting the police, they not only break the law but betray the basic standards of decency our community expects.”
Prosecutors said DeReyes was behind the wheel of a 1999 Toyota Corolla on Flanders Road in Riverhead on Oct. 5 when she struck Ever Eli Damian Mazat while he was in the crosswalk.
The Toyota stopped briefly, but then raced off, with Mazat pronounced dead at the scene.
DeReyes allegedly drove to a friend’s house in Mastic and left the car there — but returned to the scene of the crime with her friends and was placed under arrest on the same day, Southampton police said.
The Toyota was recovered at her friend’s home and seized as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a warrant for DeReyes, who will face deportation proceedings, which will kick in after she serves her sentence if she is convicted.
She was arraigned on charges of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and operating a motor vehicle outside the class of license before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski.
She is due to return to court on Nov. 25.
It is unclear if DeReyes is in the US illegally or if she has legal residency but is facing possible deportation due to her arrest. Prosecutors declined comment on the suspect’s immigration status.
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