The Nassau County Police announced the hit-and-run driver who is accused of fatally striking Nicki Minaj’s father in Mineola, Long Island, turned himself in to authorities on Wednesday.
The suspect, Charles Polevich, 70, was driving northbound on a Long Island road on Friday when he struck and killed Robert Maraj. The 64-year-old victim was walking when he was hit. Following the incident, police say Polevich got out of his car to check on Maraj before driving off again. He neither called 911 nor attempted to help the victim, Page Six reported.
“The defendant then exited his vehicle, stood over the victim, asked him if ‘he was ok’, walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene,” a criminal complaint stated.
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The award-winning Trinidadian-American rapper’s father was transported to the hospital in critical condition but gave up the ghost during the weekend. Polevich has been charged with leaving the scene of an incident causing death and tampering with physical evidence.
Providing further details on the incident on Wednesday, Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick said Polevich allegedly hid the vehicle – a white Volvo – in his home garage to cover up his tracks after leaving the scene.
“He’s absolutely aware of what happened,” Fitzpatrick said. “He got out of the car and he looked at the deceased, got into his car and made the conscious decision to leave. Instead of dialing 911, instead of calling an ambulance for the man, he went and went home and secreted his vehicle.”
The police, however, managed to identify Polevich as the driver of the vehicle after reviewing surveillance footage, Page Six reported. “We were able to track that vehicle prior to the accident as well as after the accident and tracked it right to his house,” Fitzpatrick said.
The police said they couldn’t establish if Polevich was under the influence when he struck Maraj because he drove off. Polevich, who pleaded not guilty to the charges when he appeared in court, has been released on a $250,000 bond, CNN reported.
