Rocky Point Man Indicted for Allegedly Leaving Scene of Fatal Crash

Jonathan Shaver, 51, of Rocky Point, was indicted Feb. 13 on felony charges after prosecutors say a vehicle he was driving struck two men on the shoulder of William Floyd Parkway, leaving one dead and the other critically injured. The indictment, announced by Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, charges Shaver with Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting as a Class D felony and a Class E felony.

Prosecutors say the crash occurred Jan. 29 at approximately 6:44 p.m. on William Floyd Parkway near Shirley while the two men were attending to a disabled vehicle. The indictment alleges Shaver was driving a 2012 Honda Accord northbound when he struck the men and fled without rendering aid or notifying police; Suffolk County Police recovered and impounded the Accord and took Shaver into custody the following evening.

At an arraignment before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr. on Feb. 13, Justice Senft set bail at $100,000 cash, or $200,000 bond, or a $1,000,000 partially secured bond during the pendency of the case. Defense counsel Del Atwell, Esq. entered an appearance; the prosecution is being handled by Assistant District Attorney Emma Richards of the Vehicular Crime Bureau. Shaver is due back in court March 10.

One of the victims was identified as 31-year-old Edgar Mejia of Mastic Beach, who was pronounced dead at the scene. The second victim was identified by family as 29-year-old Omar Mejia of Mastic Beach, who was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital in critical condition with a reported traumatic brain injury. Edgar Mejia was described by his employer, Jackson Dodds & Company, Inc. of Southampton, as a senior arborist who had worked with the company for 10 years; the employer has established a fundraising effort to help the Mejia family.

Suffolk County investigators list Detective Brian Whitehead of the Major Case Unit as conducting the probe into the incident. Police initially charged Shaver at arrest with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in fatality and leaving the scene resulting in serious injury, while the county indictment uses the formal counts of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting for the Class D and Class E felony filings.

District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney issued a statement on the indictment: “The defendant allegedly struck two men who were simply trying to fix a tire on the shoulder of the parkway and fled the scene without stopping to render aid. One victim has died and the other is fighting for his life. We owe it to them and their families to pursue justice, and this indictment is an important step in that direction.”

Members of the public with information can contact Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit detectives at 631-852-6553 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. If convicted on the top count, Shaver faces a potential sentence of 2 1/3 to 7 years in prison.