Involved in a Hit-and-Run Crash in August That Killed a Pedestrian, Had Windshield Replaced to Cover up the Crime
An Oakdale woman has been indicted in connection with a hit-and-run crash that occurred back in August and killed a pedestrian at a Ronkonkoma intersection.
Michelle Karp, 28, of 124 Ketay Drive South, was charged with leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence, for fleeing the scene of a crash that killed Lydia Ciminelli, 72, of Lake Ronkonkoma.
Ciminelli was crossing Rosevale Avenue, just south of Motor Parkway, on August 7 at approximately 9:30 a.m., when she was struck by a southbound vehicle, described as a dark-colored sedan that was allegedly driven by Karp.
Karp then allegedly drove away from the scene without rendering aid to the victim and failed to report the collision to law enforcement. The victim was brought to Stony Brook Hospital, where she died as a result of the injuries. Two hours after the crash occurred, Karp allegedly replaced the broken windshield on her vehicle, which allegedly cracked during the crash.
During their investigation, law enforcement recovered car parts in the roadway where the collision occurred. Those parts were allegedly matched to the damage on Karp’s Nissan.
Karp was arraigned on November 29 at Suffolk County Court in Riverhead. She was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Judge Steven A. Pilewski for one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a Class D felony, and one count of tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony. Pilewski placed Karp on supervised release during the pendency of the case and suspended her New York State driver’s license.
“Striking a pedestrian and driving away, leaving them injured and lying in the road, is no accident,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney. “This defendant allegedly did just that and attempted to cover it up. This is a serious crime and we will treat it as such.”
Detectives are asking anyone with information on this crash to call the Major Case Unit at 631-852-6553 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.