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Orange County resident Angela Fischl, age 25, of Newburgh, pleaded guilty to two counts of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death on Tuesday, Oct. 15,
Following her plea, she was sentenced to five years probation and six months in the Ulster County Jail. Her driver’s license was also revoked, said Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji.
The plea and sentence are in connection to the Friday, March 1, hit-and-run resulting in the deaths of Ulster County residents Donna Cristallo and Stephen Celuch, both of Kingston.
Cristallo and Celuch were crossing Route 9W in Marlborough when struck by a 2020 Kia Forte operated by Fischl.
Fischl did not stop to check or render aid; she was stopped and identified by law enforcement several minutes later on Route 9W in Newburgh as she was driving her badly damaged vehicle, the DA's Office said.
Family members of both victims spoke at the sentencing, describing the vibrant lives of the victims and expressing the acuteness of their losses.
The investigation was a collaboration of the New York State Police and the Collision Reconstruction Unit, the Town of Marlborough Police Department, and the DA’s Office.
“This was a tragic circumstance; had she stopped as required by law and rendered aid, she most likely would not have faced such serious charges given the total circumstances revealed to us by the evidence in this case," Nneji said.
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