Handcuffs

By Michael Mashburn From Daily Voice

A 46-year-old woman was indicted for allegedly fleeing after striking and killing a pedestrian on Long Island.

Silvia Alvarez DeReyes, of El Salvador, was arraigned in Suffolk County Court on Tuesday, Oct. 28, in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Riverhead that killed 45-year-old Ever Eli Damian Mazat earlier this month.

Investigators determined that Alvarez DeReyes was driving a Toyota Corolla northbound on Flanders Road around 7:20 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, when she hit Mazat as he crossed in a marked crosswalk, prosecutors said.

The vehicle came to a brief stop before leaving the scene, police said. Mazat, of Riverside, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Instead of calling 911, Alvarez DeReyes allegedly drove to a friend’s home in Mastic, prosecutors said. She returned to the crash site with friends about two hours after the collision. Investigators later recovered her vehicle at the Mastic home.

She was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an incident without reporting, a felony, and operating a motor vehicle outside the class of license, a traffic infraction.

Alvarez DeReyes was brought from federal immigration custody to court for her arraignment, where she was ordered to remain jailed while the case moves forward.

If convicted on the top charge, Alvarez DeReyes faces between two and one-third and seven years in state prison. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has lodged a detainer to take custody of her after any sentence is served.

“When someone leaves the injured behind without contacting the police, they not only break the law but betray the basic standards of decency our community expects,” said Suffolk County DA Raymond Tierney. “Our office will continue to pursue justice for victims and hold offenders accountable.”