A 24-year-old motorist was arrested for the brutal hit-and-run incident that killed a “loving” grandfather who was thrown into the air and onto a Brooklyn street last month, according to police.
Brian Macoto-Morales, of Homecrest, turned himself in at the 83rd Precinct Thursday morning and was charged with various counts for allegedly mowing down Segundo Reina-Gaon, 74, as he crossed a Bay Ridge street on September 11, according to police and sources.
Surveillance footage showed the moment Macoto-Morales’ white SUV collided with Reina-Gaon, ramming him from the crosswalk into a parked car and then the pavement at Ridge Boulevard and Bay Ridge Avenue at 9 p.m.
According to authorities, the white SUV collided with him while speeding northbound on Ridge Boulevard. EMTs transported Reina-Gaon to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, but he died.
A GoFundMe page set up by his niece described him as a “loving father and spouse” who left behind 20 grandchildren and five children.
Reina-Gaon was recalled by one contributor as a nice neighbor.
“He watched our son grow up from a stroller to daycare, and now walking to school,” Justin Hall said on the page. “He always smiled and inquired how our son was, even when he wasn’t with us.
“We will truly miss your smiling face every morning.”
Following the fatal incident, Sen. Andrew Gounardes (D-Brooklyn), who represents the region, stated that the motorist “must be apprehended and prosecuted.”
“The video is hard to watch,” he remarked on X. “The driver doesn’t appear to even slow down.”
Macoto-Morales was charged with leaving the scene of an accident that resulted in death, leaving the scene of an accident with serious injury, reckless endangerment, and failure to obey a traffic device.
Police claimed he had no prior arrests.
He was arraigned Thursday in Brooklyn Supreme Criminal Court and is being held on $75,000 bail, according to court records.
His next court date is scheduled for January 7.
Reference:
NYC driver, 24, nabbed for vicious hit-and-run crash that catapulted 74-year-old ‘loving’ grandpa