Babylon man Michael Bonner, 40, was indicted and arraigned today before Judge Caryn Fink on grand jury indictment charges connected to a hit-and-run accident in Freeport that occurred on March 25 and killed Narcizo de Jesus Guerra Lopez, 66. Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly detailed the indictment in an announcement on April 23.
Bonner has been indicted on charges of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in death, tampering with physical evidence and multiple traffic infractions. Bonner pleaded not guilty to the charges and was allowed bail for $500,000 cash, $1 million bond and $1 million partially secured bond.
The next court date for Bonner is on May 20, and if convicted, he will face anywhere from three years and eight months to 11 years in prison.
"The defendant allegedly struck an innocent man crossing the street and callously kept driving," Donnelly said. "The victim was abandoned in critical condition and later died from his injuries."
Donnelly stated that Bonner allegedly fled the state, but was eventually tracked down by Nassau County detectives. Bonner's arrest was first reported on April 5, less than two weeks after the incident.
"My office will aggressively prosecute drivers who try to run from their crimes and hold them accountable for the devastation they leave behind," Donnelly said.
According to the indictment, approximately at 8 p.m. on March 25, Bonner was driving his 2001 Chevrolet Suburban near the intersection of East Merrick Road and South Main Street in Freeport when he struck Lopez who was crossing the street using the crosswalk. After hitting him, Bonner allegedly continued driving eastbound on East Merrick Road and fled the scene.
Lopez was transported to Mount Sinai South Nassau Hospital in critical condition and underwent emergency surgery. On April 3, Lopez died from his injuries, two days before Bonner was arrested.
At the time of the crash, Bonner's vehicle had a distinctive large, red sticker on the rear windshield and white foam above the rear passenger side tire, which helped Nassau County detectives conduct their investigation and determine Bonner's movements before and after hitting Lopez.
Bonner was in Oceanside before the accident, according to investigators, as surveillance video allegedly spots him in the area at 7 p.m. walking to his vehicle. Bonner's vehicle was also spotted stopping at a 7-Eleven convenience store on Sunrise Highway half a mile from the scene of the accident and four minutes before it occurred.
Cell phone data was obtained as part of the investigation, which allegedly places Bonner at the scene of the crime during its occurrence.
After the crash, investigators determined that Bonner allegedly removed the sticker from his vehicle and fled to the Carolinas. He was detected on March 28 and allegedly drove back to New York in early April. On April 4, Bonner was pulled over by Hempstead Police officers when returning to Nassau County. He was promptly arrested at about 12:40 p.m. by Nassau County detectives.
The case is being prosecuted by Senior Assistant District Attorney Nicole Vota of the Vehicular Crimes Bureau. Bonner is represented by Raymond Baierlein, Esq.
