Also Had Three DWI Charges between 1995 and 2016
A Wading River man has been sentenced to eight to 16 years in prison for aggravated vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a crash that killed an 82-year-old man.
On June 8, 2023, at approximately 3:30 a.m., George Hackett was under the influence of a combination of THC, a compound that is the main active ingredient of cannabis, and Xanax while driving a black 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe eastbound on Sunrise Highway in East Quogue.
Hackett was driving between Exits 64 and 65 at speeds up to 113 miles per hour when he struck the rear end of a 2010 Nissan Armada operated by the victim, Franklin Blake, of Queens. Blake’s car was thrown into the woods, and Blake died as a result of the injuries that he sustained in the crash.
Hackett’s vehicle rolled over but landed upright, and he continued driving eastbound on Sunrise Highway until his car broke down less than a mile east of the crash site. Hackett was found more than a mile away from his vehicle, walking on Route 24 in Flanders away from the crash scene.
At the time of the crash, Hackett was on parole for first-degree assault. He had three prior DWI convictions, once in 1995 and twice in 2016.
On March 28, 2025, Hackett pleaded guilty before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski to the following charges:
- aggravated vehicular homicide, a Class B felony
- second-degree manslaughter, a Class C felony
- leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a Class D felony
- second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony
- driving while impaired by the combined influence of drugs, a Class D felony
- two counts of driving while impaired by drugs, both Class D felonies
- reckless driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
On April 29, 2025, Pilewski sentenced Hackett to eight to 16 years in prison. The District Attorney’s Office recommended that the defendant be sentenced to 12 ½ to 25 years in prison, the maximum sentence on the top count of the indictment.
“Today’s sentencing is just, but it can never heal the tragic loss of the Blake family,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “The defendant’s reckless decision to drive at excessive speed showed a complete disregard for human life and safety. Our office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who endanger public safety on our roadways.”