Erin M. Henry, of Long Beach, charged in fatal crash with bicyclist in East Atlantic Beach
Erin M. Henry, 67, is taken to her arraignment on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/Howard Schnapp
A Long Beach woman was charged with fleeing the scene after fatally striking a bicyclist in East Atlantic Beach on Tuesday, police said.
Erin M. Henry, 67, was driving a 2019 Honda HR-V east on Beech Street near Scott Drive about 7:45 a.m. when she struck a man riding a bike, according to police.
On Thursday, police identified the bicyclist as Tony Thomas, 59, of Far Rockaway, who was pronounced dead at the scene by the Long Beach Fire Department.
Police said Henry fled the scene of the crash, continuing east on Beech Street.
After locating her vehicle, police arrested Henry at around 10:30 a.m. and charged her with leaving the scene of an incident causing a death, a class D felony, according to the charging document. She pleaded not guilty when she was arraigned on Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead.
Steven Epstein, Henry's lawyer, said "when the investigation is done and completed, I think that it'll become clear that this is only an accident. We feel horrible for the victim and the victim's family."
Newsday's Peter Gill contributed to this story.
More coverage: Every 7 minutes on average a traffic crash causing death, injury or significant property damage happens on Long Island. A Newsday investigation found that traffic crashes killed more than 2,100 people between 2014 and 2023 and seriously injured more than 16,000 people. To search for fatal crashes in your area, click here.
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