Long Island Woman Gets 2 to 6 In Deadly Hit-And-Run Of Firefighter

RIVERSIDE, NY — A Long Island woman was sentenced to two to six years in prison in a deadly hit-and-run that killed a volunteer firefighter over the summer, her attorney confirmed.

Maria Guallpa-Bonilla, 37, had pleaded guilty in October to one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting in connection with killing Christopher Hlavaty, a 22-year-old Hagerman firefighter from East Patchogue, on June 10.

Her defense attorney, Luigi Belcastro of Central Islip, described the crash as "terrible and tragic."

"I can only speak for Maria; she has always been remorseful," he said. "She took this offer to avoid [the Hlvaty family's] pain and agony of going through a trial."

"It was an accident," he said. "If she had stayed, I don't believe there would have been any other charges."

Guallpa-Bonilla, who has a young son, "panicked" because she did not want to have contact with the police, he said.

Prosecutors say she left her job on Medford Avenue in Patchogue just before 10 p.m., driving her blue 2001 Mercury Cougar westbound on East Main Street in Patchogue, without another licensed driver in the vehicle as was required by her permit restrictions, prosecutors said.

As she made a left-hand turn southbound on Rider Avenue, she struck an eastbound motorcycle that was operated by Hlavaty, who had the right of way, prosecutors said, adding, that after driving over Hlavaty’s body with the front and rear tires of the car, she left the scene without stopping or helping him and failed to report the collision to law enforcement.

Hlavaty died from his injuries, according to prosecutors.

Car parts found by law enforcement at the scene of the collision were determined to belong to a 2001 Mercury Cougar, and two days later, police found it in the driveway of her home, covered with a tarp to prevent it from being observed by the authorities, prosecutors said.