Charges upgraded against Stephen Aylward, accused of fatal hit-and-run of Yusuf Gul along Robert Moses Causeway

A West Islip man accused of leaving the scene of a fatal pedestrian crash on the Robert Moses Causeway in June returned to the scene in a different vehicle but left when he saw police had arrived, prosecutors said at his arraignment on upgraded charges Friday.

Stephen Aylward, 63, pleaded not guilty to a seven-count grand jury indictment, including a top charge of second-degree manslaughter, at an arraignment before acting state Supreme Court Justice Philip Goglas in Riverhead Friday. Killed in the crash was 27-year-old Yusuf Gul, of Bay Shore, who was found dead on the shoulder of the highway a short time later.

"After striking Mr. Gul, [Aylward] continued," Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Laura Newcombe said. "He did not stop. He did not slow down."

The upgraded charges include a felony count for leaving the scene of a fatal crash and several charges for driving while intoxicated and ability impaired.

Police and prosecutors have said the crash occurred about 1:30 p.m. June 25 on the southbound side of the causeway near the exit for Montauk Highway. Gul, who had been walking on the shoulder, was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Aylward, who, his attorney said, worked as an elevator inspector before his arrest, allegedly drove his 2012 Jeep Liberty back to his house following the crash before returning to the scene with his girlfriend in a different vehicle. He did not stop after seeing police had already arrived and instead continued home for a second time, Newcombe said.

"It was approximately a half-hour after he struck Mr. Gul that he finally called 911 to report the incident," the prosecutor said.

When speaking with police, Aylward, the father of three adult children, allegedly made admissions about his involvement in the crash. A toxicology report from a court-ordered blood test taken seven hours after the crash showed Aylward had a 0.13% blood alcohol content and methadone was present in his system, Newcombe said.

Ring camera evidence from Aylward’s home showed significant damage to the front end of his car, where Gul’s cellphone was recovered after becoming lodged there, prosecutors said. Aylward was arrested later that day and was initially charged with misdemeanor driving while ability impaired by a combination of drugs and alcohol.

"Every driver has an absolute obligation to stop and to report their involvement in a crash," Suffolk District Attorney Ray Tierney said in a statement. "This defendant allegedly did neither, resulting in the tragic death of a young man." 

Goglas increased bail to $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond for Aylward, who had previously been out of custody on lesser bail. He faces a maximum sentence of 5 to 15 years in state prison if convicted on the top manslaughter charge, Newcombe said.

Aylward has a history of arrests mostly related to drugs, prosecutors said. His most recent felony arrest was in 1992, and he had not been arrested since 2010, said defense attorney Luigi Belcastro, of Central Islip.

Aylward’s counsel objected to the increased bail, arguing that his client has shown up willingly to each of his court appearances since his June arrest.

"He knew about the grand jury proceeding and he did not flee then," Belcastro told the judge.

He said his client has been in recovery and has "turned his life around," and he argued there are some potential factual issues with the prosecution’s case.

"It’s not an open-and-shut case," Belcastro said.

Aylward is due back in court Oct. 16.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.