Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney today announced that Michelle Karp, 28, of Oakdale, was indicted for the felony charges of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting and Tampering with Physical Evidence, after fatally striking 72-year-old Lydia Ciminelli, of Lake Ronkonkoma, who was crossing the street.
“Striking a pedestrian and driving away, leaving them injured and lying in the road, is no accident,” said District Attorney Tierney. “This defendant allegedly did just that and attempted to cover it up. This is a serious crime and we will treat it as such.”
According to the investigation, on August 7, 2023, at approximately 9:30 a.m., Karp was driving a gray 2009 Nissan Maxima southbound on Rosevale Avenue in Lake Ronkonkoma, when she allegedly struck the victim who was crossing the street. Karp then allegedly drove away from the scene without rendering aid to the victim and failed to report the collision to law enforcement. The victim was brought to Stony Brook Hospital where she died as a result of the injuries. Two hours after the crash occurred, Karp allegedly replaced the broken windshield on her vehicle, which allegedly cracked during the crash.
During their investigation, law enforcement recovered car parts in the roadway where the collision occurred, which were allegedly matched damage on Karp’s Nissan.
On November 29, 2023, Karp was arraigned on the indictment before Acting Supreme Court Justice, the Honorable Steven A. Pilewski, for one count of Leaving the Scene of an Incident Without Reporting, a Class D felony, and one count of Tampering with Physical Evidence, a Class E felony. Justice Pilewski placed Karp on supervised release during the pendency of the case and suspended her New York State driver’s license. Karp is due back in court on December 19, 2023, and she is being represented by Daniel Russo Esq.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney James Curtin of the Vehicular Crime Bureau, with investigative assistance from Detective Valentin Rosado Jr. of the Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit.
Criminal complaints and indictments are merely accusatory instruments. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty. No one is above the law.
