Babylon Man Indicted In Fatal Freeport Hit-And-Run That Took 66-Year-Old’s Life, Prosecutors Say

MINEOLA, NY — A 40-year-old man was arraigned Thursday on charges stemming from a fatal hit-and-run crash that took the life of 66-year-old Narcizo de Jesus Guerra Lopez in March.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said that 40-year-old Michael Bonner was being charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence Thursday, both felonies. Bonner’s attorney, Ray Baierlein, declined to comment on the arraignment Friday.

The charges stem from the crash that took place at about 8 p.m. on Mar. 25, when Bonner was driving his 2001 Chevy Suburban through Freeport, prosecutors said. As the Suburban neared the intersection of East Merrick Road and South Main Street, prosecutors said Bonner’s SUV struck Lopez while he was walking in the crosswalk. After the collision, prosecutors said Bonner kept driving east on Merrick Road.

“The defendant allegedly struck an innocent man crossing the street and callously kept driving,” Donnelly said. “The victim was abandoned in critical condition and later died from his injuries. Michael Bonner allegedly fled the state, but he could not outrun the relentless detective work that tracked him down. My office will aggressively prosecute drivers who try to run from their crimes and hold them accountable for the devastation they leave behind.”

Lopez was taken to Mount Sinai South Nassau that night, prosecutors said, where he underwent emergency surgery. On Apr. 3, prosecutors said, he died from his injuries.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said they reviewed surveillance footage from the night of the crash and found that Bonner had been in Oceanside minutes before the crash, walking to the driver’s side of a vehicle with a red sticker on its rear windshield and white foam on its rear passenger side tire, both of which, prosecutors said, matched the car seen on surveillance footage.

Next, police said Bonner’s SUV had been captured on surveillance cameras at a 7-Eleven on Sunrise Highway, about a half-mile from the scene of the crash, moments before the hit-and-run took place. Bonner, prosecutors said, was captured on that footage walking into and out of the convenience store.

Finally, police said cell phone data placed Bonner at the scene of the crash at the time it occurred.

In the aftermath of the crash, police said Bonner removed the red sticker from his rear windshield and fled the state, being spotted in the Carolinas Mar. 28 and driving back to New York in early April. On Apr. 4, prosecutors said, Bonner was pulled over by Hempstead police and arrested. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and could face up to 11 years in prison if found guilty, prosecutors said.