Senator Golden: In Wake of Weekend Brooklyn Hit and Run Horror, Assembly Must Act to Increase Penalties

Brooklyn – In the wake of this weekend’s hit and run horror that killed Nachman and Raizy Glauber, and baby, that has devastated the Williamsburg community, State Senator Martin J. Golden (R-C-I, Brooklyn) today is calling on the State Assembly to pass his legislation, S. 2503, that increases penalties for such offenses. Senator Golden is calling on the Assembly to stop putting the brakes on life saving legislation and urging a vote as soon as possible.

Senator Marty Golden stated, “It seems that hit and runs are becoming more prevalent within our society and every year, more and more New Yorkers are dying at the hands of reckless drivers who flee the scene of the accident. The citizens of New York State will not tolerate this, and that is why we must create a new law that increases the penalties for such acts.”

Golden continued, “Leaving the scene of an accident, where a person is injured or killed, shows nothing less than a blatant disregard for human life. So often, motorists also suffer vehicle damage, either during travel or while parked, and those drivers flee these incidents just the same. The State Senate has already approved a bill that goes after these individuals, and now it is imperative that the State Assembly pass this bill. Each day that the Assembly fails to act, it is another day that New Yorkers are traveling in danger.”

The bill increases the penalties for drivers who leave the scene of an accident without stopping and/or reporting it, causing property damage, from a Class A Misdemeanor to a Class E Felony. The penalty for repeat hit and run drivers who cause property damage or personal injury, would be elevated from a Class E Felony to a Class D Felony. Drivers who flee from the scene of an accident where someone was killed would now face a Class C Felony.

Assemblyman Steve Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn) is the sponsor of the bill, A. 1533, in the Assembly.