LI Man Indicted For Leaving The Scene After Killing Pedestrian: DA

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A Central Islip man was indicted on Wednesday, for leaving the scene after he fatally struck a pedestrian, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced.

Raynard Williams, 47, was charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a felony, before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Steven A. Pilewski.

On July 31 at about 8:30 p.m., Paul Benjamin, 68, also of Central Islip, was walking across Carleton Avenue at its intersection with Elmore Street.

Williams, who was allegedly driving a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe southbound on Carleton Avenue, struck Benjamin with his vehicle and drove away without stopping to render aid or call 911.

Benjamin was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore where he was pronounced dead, officials said.

During their investigation, law enforcement recovered video surveillance footage from multiple
establishments.

Video surveillance from a 7-Eleven depicted that after Williams allegedly struck Benjamin, he pulled into the parking lot, exited his vehicle, looked back down the road where the incident allegedly occurred, and then returned to his vehicle and drove away, prosecutors said.

Additionally, law enforcement was able to obtain the license plate of the Hyundai that struck Benjamin from video surveillance footage from other commercial establishments and license plate readers.

Two days after the incident, detectives from the Suffolk County Police Department located the
Hyundai that allegedly struck Benjamin outside of Williams’ home.

Williams was arrested the following morning, on Aug. 3, officials said.

“This defendant allegedly fled the scene after knowingly striking Paul Benjamin, leaving him to die in the street. Those alleged actions are inexcusable,” said Tierney. “I thank the Suffolk County Police Department for their investigation into tracking down and arresting the defendant.”

Judge Pilewski ordered Williams held on $75,000 cash, $150,000 bond, or $750,000 partially secured bond. Additionally, Judge Pilewski suspended Williams’s privilege to drive in New York State.

Williams’s next court date is Sept. 12.

Patch reached out to Luigi Belcastro, Williams' attorney, for comment.