Massapequa man and his dog fatally struck on Merrick Road in Massapequa, Nassau police say

A Jeep driver struck and killed a pedestrian and his dog Thursday evening in Massapequa, according to the Nassau County Police Department.

The pedestrian was identified by police Tuesday as Matthew Elder, 30, of Massapequa. He and his dog had been trying to cross Merrick Road southbound at about 7:51 p.m. when the driver of the 2003 Jeep, heading west, struck them, a police news release said.

The crash occurred just west of Forest Avenue, the release said.

"As a result of the collision the pedestrian suffered multiple trauma injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene by a Nassau County police medic. The victim’s dog was also fatally struck," the release said.

The Jeep driver, a 72-year-old man, stayed at the crash scene. The release said that criminality was ruled out but did not explain. Nor were details disclosed such as the driver’s speed, the cause of the crash and the lighting of the roadway.

In 2019, the most recent year for which statistics are available, there were 1,414 pedestrians struck on Long Island, and 60 killed. Of those, 905 were hit in Nassau, with 29 killed, and 509 were hit in Suffolk, with 31 killed, according to New York State’s Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research at the University at Albany.

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.