Police identify Robert F. McCarthy, of Hicksville. as bicyclist killed in Westbury hit-and-run
Nassau police remove a car they said hit a bicyclist in Westbury early Sunday. Credit: Jim Staubitser
Police have identified a 69-year-old Hicksville man as the bicyclist killed in a hit-and-run early Sunday in Westbury.
Robert F. McCarthy died at the scene of a crash on Old Country Road after being struck by what Nassau police said was a drunken driver.
Wilfredo Blanco Molina struck the bicyclist near the intersection of State Street and Old Country Road early Sunday with a 2006 gray Chrysler Sebring, police said.
McCarthy suffered "extensive injuries" and a Nassau police paramedic declared him dead at the scene, officials said.
Officers arrested Blanco Molina, who police said fled the accident, farther east on Old Country Road near the Wantagh State Parkway.
Blanco Molina failed a sobriety test and possessed a white powdery substance that police believe to be cocaine, authorities said.
He has been charged with second-degree vehicular manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident, driving while intoxicated and seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. police said.
He was arraigned Monday at First District Court in Hempstead.
More coverage: Long Island traffic crashes claimed 243 lives in 2022, 29% more than in 2019, Newsday has reported. The level was the highest since 2015, as dangerous driving increased post-COVID-19 and police traffic enforcement dropped, according to a Newsday analysis of crash and ticketing data and traffic experts.
Brianne Ledda covers the Town of Islip for Newsday. She previously covered Southold and Greenport for The Suffolk Times and is a graduate of Stony Brook University.
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Reexamining a cold case mystery ... Gillen heads to Washington ... Get the latest news and more great videos at NewsdayTV
