A man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run that killed Nicki Minaj's 64-year-old father. Charles Polevich, 70, surrendered himself to authorities Wednesday for the death of Robert Maraj, who passed away last week in New York's Long Island. He is facing charges of leaving the scene of an incident and tampering with physical evidence, according to Entertainment Tonight.
"He was absolutely aware of what happened," Nassau County Police Detective Lt. Stephen 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 dialling 911, instead of calling an ambulance for the man. He went home and secluded the vehicle. He’s well aware of what he did."
Maraj was struck by the car while walking along a road in Mineola on Long Island on Friday evening, according to Billboard. He was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead the following day.
According to police, Polevich stopped his vehicle after hitting Maraj and got out to check on him. He reportedly asked if Minaj's father was all right before getting back into his vehicle and fleeing the scene. He went home and allegedly tried to hide the car by parking it in a detached garage.
Police were able to locate Polevich by piecing together bits of surveillance video. Through the footage they identified Polevich's vehicle, a white 1992 Volvo station wagon, which was involved in the crash. They then traced Polevich to his Mineola home.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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