By Emily Davenport
An Astoria man was arrested following a vehicle collision that took a man’s life in Manhattan last week.
According to police, at 9:16 p.m. Oct. 31, officers from the 33rd Precinct were on patrol when they encountered a vehicle collision at West 178th Street and Ft. Washington Avenue.
Upon their arrival, officers found a motorcyclist, who has been identified as 40-year-old Manual Hernandez, unconscious and unresponsive with severe body trauma.
EMS responded to the scene and transported Hernandez to Harlem Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
A preliminary investigation found that the operator of a 2009 Lincoln sedan, Ayman Zarik, 53, of 31st Road in Astoria, was traveling southbound on Ft. Washington Avenue when he collided with Hernandez, who was operating a 2012 Suzuki and riding eastbound on West 178th Street.
Zarik remained at the scene and was taken into custody. He was later charged with criminally negligent homicide.
