by Jerry Burke
No charges have yet been filed in either case, but the investigation into the death of Adona Hazelwood-Carr, 36, on Sept. 11, remains open after witnesses said a second car ran over her and drove away.
Police reported that Hazelwood-Carr, a mother of three who had only recently moved to Elmont, was attempting to cross Hempstead Turnpike from south to north near the Elmont Road intersection at 6 a.m. last Thursday. When she ran to catch a bus to her Bronx workplace, she was struck by a 1990 Chevy Cavalier. The driver, Leticia Moreau, of Queens Village, stopped her car and came to Hazelwood-Carr's aide.
While police believe the impact from the initial collision most likely killed Hazelwood-Carr, Homicide Squad Detective Patrick Bellotti says the investigation will remain open as a homicide while police search for the driver of a dark-colored sport utility vehicle seen running over the body and driving on.
"One car swerved out of the way, but the next one ran over the body and didn't stop," said Bellotti. Moreau, however, has not been charged. Because the medical examiner's office had not yet determined the exact cause of death, police are unsure if any charges would be brought against the driver of the SUV. "Because it was still dark, the driver may not have known there was even a body on the road," Bellottie said.
Anyone who may have information about the accident is urged to call the Homicide Squad at (516) 573-7788.
According to her family, Hazelwood-Carr and her husband had just moved to Elmont recently with their adopted niece, son and daughter.
On Saturday night, only a few blocks west of Thursday's tragedy, an employee of Belmont Park was struck by a 2002 Chrysler van near the racetrack's Gate Six entrance. Police say 24-year-old Juan Moreira was crossing Hempstead Turnpike at about 10:30 p.m. when a westbound van, driven by a 37-year-old New Jersey woman, hit him.
Police say Moreira suffered head injuries and a broken pelvis. He was airlifted to Nassau County Medical Center, where he remains in stable condition.
The driver, who pulled over for assistance, was not charged in the incident. The van was impounded for a brake test.
