Allegedly Struck, Killed Pedestrian with his Car As He Fled Police
A West Babylon man was indicted for allegedly driving at a high rate of speed in an attempt to evade a police stop that ultimately resulted in a crash that killed a Wyandanch man who was walking along the street.
On June 13 at around 7:30 p.m., a Suffolk County Police officer attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Jason Jean-Joseph’s 2018 BMW 5 Series sedan. Jean-Joseph, whose driver’s license was allegedly suspended, allegedly saw the marked unit’s lights activate and sped away from the police vehicle. As he turned onto Wyandanch Avenue, Jean-Joseph allegedly accelerated in an eastbound direction where he struck Hillel Fuld, 29, of Wyandanch, with his vehicle. Fuld would later be pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Hospital.
Following the crash, Jean-Joseph allegedly fled from the scene without pulling over to check on Fuld’s well-being and drove to a location in Babylon where he left the vehicle off the shoulder of the roadway. Jean-Joseph also allegedly discarded a loaded 9-millimeter pistol containing a high capacity magazine in the wooded area south of John Street.
On August 29, 2025, Jean-Joseph was arrested following an investigation conducted by the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.
On September 11, Jean-Joseph was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Karen M. Wilutis for the following charges:
- one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Second Degree, a Class C violent felony
- one count of Manslaughter in the Second Degree, a Class C felony
- one count of Assault in the Second Degree, a Class D violent felony
- three counts of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Third Degree, all Class D felonies
- one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class D felony
- one count of Unlawful Fleeing a Police Officer in the First Degree, a Class D felony
- one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E felony
- one count of Reckless Endangerment in the Second Degree, a Class A misdemeanor
- one count of Aggravated Unlicensed Operation of a Motor Vehicle in the Third Degree, an unclassified misdemeanor
- one count of Reckless Driving, an unclassified misdemeanor
Wilutis ordered Jean-Joseph held on $500,000 cash, $2,500,000 bond or $5,000,000 partially secured bond, and suspended his driving privileges during the pendency of the case. Jean-Joseph is due back in court on September 24 and faces 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count.
“The victim’s life was tragically cut short because of the defendant’s alleged reckless and brazen behavior,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “It should have never happened. Pedestrians in Suffolk County deserve to feel safe when walking our streets.”