Suffolk County Police arrested a female driver after she seriously injured a female pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash in Selden last night.
Shaunakaye Vazquez was driving a 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe northbound on Boyle Road at the corner of Liberty Avenue, when the Tahoe struck a disabled 2015 Subaru sedan on the shoulder, at 10:04 p.m. The impact caused the disabled Subaru to strike a 2012 Jeep Wrangler parked in front of it, pinning a female pedestrian between the two vehicles and injuring two other pedestrians. Vazquez then fled the scene in the Tahoe, but was located shortly after the incident.
Nancy Mortello, 51, of Selden, who had exited the Jeep to assist with the disabled Subaru, was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Her son Douglas Taveras, 28, of Selden, who had been driving the Subaru when it became disabled, and Gabriella Giovinco, 26, of Selden, who had been a passenger in Subaru, were transported to the same hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Juan Vazquez, 42, of Selden, a passenger in the Tahoe, was not injured.
Shaunakaye Vazquez, 39, of Selden, was charged with Driving While Intoxicated and Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Serious Injury. She is being held overnight and is scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on April 1.
The Tahoe was impounded. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call the Sixth Squad at 631-854-8652.
A criminal charge is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Authority: Rodney K. Harrison, Commissioner 22-189664
Suffolk County Police Department
