Cops: Driver kills pedestrian in Copiague, flees on foot

A 27-year-old Copiague man was killed Sunday afternoon in Copiague when he was struck by a car, Suffolk police said.

Police identified the victim as Natalio Mosso. He was walking with his cousin, Bernardo Mosso, at about 3:40 p.m. Sunday southwest on Dixon Avenue toward Great Neck Road when a black Toyota sedan jumped the curb and struck Natalio Mosso, police said.

Witnesses said the impact sent Mosso, a landscaper, flying through the air. The Toyota’s driver fled on foot, police said, while Mosso lay on the sidewalk in front of Copiague High School. He was pronounced dead at the scene by officials with Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office, police said.

“We saw a guy fly in the air and drop,” said Chris Green, 33, of Copiague, who was driving on Straight Path when Mosso was struck. “I just saw blood coming out of everywhere.”

Green called 911, but by the time Suffolk police arrived, Mosso was dead.

Family members said Mosso moved from Guerrero, Mexico, to Copiague six years ago to work as a landscaper, said his cousin, Elio Mosso, with whom Natalio Mosso shared a house on Copiague’s 34th Street. Natalio Mosso also worked at a nearby Speedy Mart. A neighbor, Christian Espanal, said Mosso’s family is “devastated.”

Family members said they are seeking help raising money to send Mosso’s body back to Guerrero, a small village about 30 miles north of Acapulco.