The New York Attorney General's Office is investigating after Nassau police officers fatally struck a 22-year-old man in their marked vehicle Friday morning in Wantagh.
Nassau police say it happened around 6:30 a.m. They say the man was trying to cross Wantagh Avenue at the intersection of Duckpond Drive North when he was struck by the marked police vehicle.
The victim suffered multiple injuries and was transported to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officials say two officers were also transported to hospitals for minor injuries.
Sean Silvio, of Wantagh, said he woke up Friday morning to see part of Wantagh Avenue blocked and filled with police vehicles.
"Around 6:30 a.m., we saw a line of cars on the block pulling U-turns and the road was blocked off,” he said.
Ralph Caruso, of Wantagh, said police blocked off Wantagh Avenue until around noon and said he could tell it was a serious accident.
"I was wondering why there were so many police cars here,” he said. "One of the police vehicles said Nassau County Crime Unit. And then I noticed that there weren't any patrolmen in uniform, more detectives were here that showed up."
Nassau police say the officers did not have their emergency lights on and were not responding to a call when they hit the 22-year-old.
The identities of the officers involved and the victim have not been released.
Anne Lipuma, of Wantagh, said it is just terrible for the community to hear about what happened.
"It's just very sad. You never want to hear about anything like that,” she said. "It's obviously someone that someone else knows and the family. We all need to be more careful, especially now the holiday season is coming."
The Attorney General's Office is required by law to investigate when an officer may have caused someone's death.
Nassau police say it has video evidence to back up what happened Friday morning.
