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Queens Pedestrian is Killed by Hit-and-Run Driver Later Caught in Nassau Co.

The hellscape that is Rockaway Boulevard near JFK Airport. Photo: Google

Nassau County cops helped the NYPD arrest a hit-and-run driver who killed a Queens pedestrian early Tuesday morning, police told Streetsblog.

According to the NYPD, Kevin Dennard, 35, was driving his 2003 Toyota Camry at around 3:35 a.m. when he ran over and killed a man as he walked across Rockaway Boulevard, near Brookville Boulevard, from west to east.

Dennard fled as the 65-year-old pedestrian, whose name was not released, died at the scene.

A police narrative of the incident did not describe how Dennard was ultimately collared. In a phone interview, a police spokeswoman said Nassau County police officers spotted Dennard later — it is unclear how much later — inspecting his damaged car.

Dennard apparently told the Nassau police officers that he had "hit some debris" on the road — but a further investigation revealed that the "debris" was a human being.

Dennard was brought back within the 105th Precinct and was arrested by the NYPD. He was charged with leaving the scene of a crash, a surprisingly rare charge, even in fatal cases, a Streetsblog investigation found.

Nassau County Police declined to comment.

The spit of land that's still part of Queens even though it is east of JFK Airport is known for its hellish driving. Just two blocks of Rockaway Boulevard near the Nassau County line had 67 crashes last year, injuring 19 motorists, according to Crashmapper.

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