A Virginia woman has been indicted for allegedly hitting and killing a pedestrian with her vehicle back in June.
On June 19 at approximately 2:26 a.m., Amanda Kempton was allegedly driving a 2004 Toyota Highlander westbound on West Montauk Highway near Springville Road in Hampton Bays when she struck Sara Burack, who was walking westbound along West Montauk Highway with a suitcase. At the time of the crash, Burack’s suitcase allegedly became lodged underneath Kempton’s vehicle.
Immediately after the crash, Kempton allegedly did not report the incident to law enforcement or render aid to Burack, but instead tried unsuccessfully to remove the suitcase from underneath her vehicle, before fleeing the scene with it still dragging underneath.
A passing motorist discovered Burack lying on the shoulder of West Montauk Highway and called 911 at 2:45 a.m. Burack, 40, of Southampton, was taken to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she was later pronounced deceased.
On June 20, 2025, Southampton Town Detectives traced the vehicle allegedly involved in the crash to Kempton, who was located at an address in Manorville. Detectives recovered her vehicle, which allegedly had front-end damage. The investigation also revealed that Kempton allegedly discarded the suitcase in a local dumpster along with its contents. She was taken into custody that day.
On October 20, Kempton , 32, of Fairfax, Virginia, was arraigned on the indictment before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins, for one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Resulting in Death, a Class D Felony. Collins ordered Kempton held on $100,000 cash, $200,000 bond or $1,000,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Kempton is due back in court on November 20, and faces 2⅓ to 7 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
“Leaving the scene of a fatal collision makes a tragic situation even worse,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “Rather than rendering help to Ms. Burack, the defendant allegedly left her to die. This indictment is an important step towards justice for Sara and her loved ones.”