A Long Island man was arrested Wednesday on multiple charges in relation to a hit-and-run crash that killed a pedestrian in Queens Village near UBS Arena last month.
Osman Zavala-Varela, 36, of Fulton Avenue in Hempstead, was booked at the 105th Precinct in Queens Village Jan. 10, for allegedly killing 66-year-old Gary Charlotin of Marie Avenue of North Baldwin in a crash at around 8 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, police said.
The incident took place at the intersection of Hempstead Avenue and 223rd Street and cops were called to the scene that night.
Upon arrival, officers found Charlotin lying on the roadway with severe body trauma. EMS responded to the location and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Further investigation by the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad determined that Charlotin was crossing Hempstead Avenue when he was struck by Zavala-Varela, who was behind the wheel of a light-colored sedan traveling westbound.
Zavala-Varela sped away from the scene as the driver of a second vehicle, a light-colored SUV, traveling eastbound on Hempstead Avenue, struck Charlotin as he was lying on the roadway. The second motorist also drove away from the scene and remains at large, according to an NYPD spokeswoman.
In addition to leaving the scene of an accident causing death, Zvala-Varela was also charged with failure to obey a traffic signal. The investigation remains ongoing by the NYPD Highway District’s Collision Investigation Squad.
