Huntington Station Hit-and-Run Driver Arrested Days After Fatal Crash

Manuel Flores, 28, of Huntington Station was arrested and charged with Leaving the Scene of a Fatal Motor Vehicle Crash after a gray Toyota SUV struck and killed a 44-year-old neighbor on New York Avenue in Huntington Station, Suffolk County police announced Monday morning.

The victim, Bacilio Mardoqueo Vasquez Vasquez, also a Huntington Station resident, was walking west to east across New York Avenue just south of West 19th Street when the northbound SUV hit him at approximately 5:40 p.m. on Sunday, March 8. He was not crossing at an intersection, according to police. An ambulance transported him to Huntington Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The driver did not stop after the collision and continued northbound on New York Avenue. Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives, who took over the investigation, said the SUV is believed to have front-end damage on the driver's side.

Flores was being held at the Second Precinct and was scheduled to be arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Monday. The police press office did not immediately answer an email asking why he is believed to be the hit-and-run driver, and Flores could not be reached for comment.

The death is part of a broader pattern of pedestrian fatalities on Long Island roads. In 2024, the most recent year for which complete statistics are available, 37 pedestrians were killed by drivers in Suffolk County and 26 in Nassau, out of 63 total on Long Island, according to the University at Albany-based Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research.

Anyone with additional information about the crash is asked to contact Major Case Unit detectives at 631-852-6555 or Suffolk County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted anonymously through the P3 Tips mobile app or at P3Tips.com. Information that leads to an arrest may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.