A New York City man who police say is involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed an 8-year-old boy in Schenectady earlier this week has been arrested, officials announced Thursday.
Conroy A. Simpson, 29, of Queens, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, a felony, and operating a motor vehicle without insurance, a traffic law violation.
The incident happened Tuesday evening in Schenectady’s Mount Pleasant neighborhood. Police were dispatched to the area near Chrisler Avenue and Crane Street shortly after 7:30 p.m. for reports of a child that had been struck by a vehicle.
When first responders arrived at the scene, the driver had already fled, prompting investigators to launch an immediate search, officials said.
The young victim, described by police as an 8-year-old male, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Approximately two hours later, officers announced in a news release that they believed they had located the striking vehicle and were speaking with a person of interest.
On Thursday, Schenectady Police announced Simpson had been arrested and charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and operating a motor vehicle without insurance. However, according to a police spokesperson, additional charges could still be filed in the case.
“The investigation is ongoing,” Lt. Ryan Macherone told CBS6 Albany. “There’s still a lot of information that investigators are going through right now [including] quite a bit of video surveillance … accident reconstruction, and those types of things.”
Simpson pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Schenectady City Court on Thursday morning and his bail was set at $250,000.
He’s due back in court on Tuesday.