Dolores Mancia-Landaverde, of Medford, arrested in fatal hit-run

Suffolk County police arrested and charged a Medford man Monday for leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run crash that killed one of his passengers early Saturday morning.

Police said Dolores Mancia-Landaverde, 28, was driving a BMW just before 2 a.m. Saturday when he crashed into a tractor trailer on Horseblock Road that was attempting to make a left turn on Express Drive North in Medford.

Police said Mancia-Landaverde then ran from the scene.

A passenger in the car, Hedilberto Nava Perez, 44, of Medford, was pronounced dead at the scene by a physician assistant from the Office of the Suffolk County Medical Examiner. Another passenger, Adan Nava Palacios, 20, of Medford, was airlifted to Stony Brook University Hospital, with serious but nonlife-threatening injuries, police said.

Mancia-Landaverde was charged with leaving the scene of an incident with a fatality and a second charge of leaving the scene of a crash causing serious injury.

He was arraigned Tuesday in First District Court in Central Islip where he pleaded not guilty. Bail was set at $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond.

His attorney could not be reached for comment Tuesday. 

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.