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The 17-year-old suspect, whose name was not released because of his age, was arrested at a Nassau County residence in East Meadow on Tuesday, March 26 in connection with a fatal hit-run in Yonkers on Monday, March 25, Yonkers Police announced.
According to the department, just after 4 p.m. on Monday, a pedestrian was struck in the area of 632 Van Cortlandt Park Ave. Arriving officers and first responders found 21-year-old Yonkers resident Jadon Bennett with severe injuries and took him to a nearby hospital, where he later died.
Detectives then began investigating the hit-run and determined that at the time of the incident, Bennett had gotten into a verbal fight with someone sitting in a white Mercedes-Benz sedan. This dispute had resulted from a previous interaction between the two regarding an online marketplace transaction, police said.
According to police, as the dispute escalated, the male driver accelerated his car at Bennett and caused his death before driving away. Authorities also said that Bennett had had a gun during the fight, which fell on the ground after he was hit. This also caused live ammunition to fall on the ground as well, which was collected by investigators.
A day after the hit-run, the 17-year-old driver and his vehicle were found at the East Meadow residence and he was taken into custody without incident. He was later charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony.
The Westchester County District Attorney's Office is now prosecuting the case.
Yonkers Police Commissioner Christopher Sapienza commented on the arrest and condemned the violent nature of the incident.
"Our condolences go out to the family and friends of the deceased. I urge our youth to find positive ways to handle their disputes so that we, as a community, do not suffer a loss of life," Sapienza said.
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