The Mineola man accused in the hit-and-run that killed musician Nicki Minaj's father appeared in court Wednesday.

Police say Charles Polevich, 70, left the scene after striking and killing Robert Maraj, 64, Friday.

Police say Maraj was walking in the street on Roslyn Road when he was struck and killed. They say if Polevich had stayed at the scene, and not been intoxicated, it's possible he would not have been charged.

Detective Lt. Stephen Fitzpatrick says there is no way to know if Polevich was under the influence, because he allegedly fled and hid his car in the garage of his home on Rosell Street. But nearby security cameras caught it all.

MORE: Police: Rapper Nicki Minaj's father killed in hit-and-run in Mineola

"We were able to track that vehicle prior to the accident as well as after the accident, and we kind of tracked it right to his house," says Fitzpatrick.

According to court documents and police, Polevich also allegedly got out of his car after striking Maraj, then "stood over the victim asked him if 'he was OK,' walked and returned to his vehicle and fled the scene."

Michelle Dos Santos and her husband say they were home around 6 p.m. last week and tried to help as Maraj laid dying in the middle of Roslyn Road.

"My husband ran and stopped traffic because traffic kept going, nobody was stopping," says Dos Santos. "He told me to call 911 ... cars kept going, which is the worst part of it all."

Nicki Minaj has not publicly commented on her father's death.