Police at the 114th Police Precinct and the NYPD Accident Investigation Squad (AIS) remain at the scene of Friday’s fatal hit-and-run accident on Northern Boulevard in Long Island City, expanding enforcement efforts and searching for tips on the whereabouts of the driver who fled the scene after running down a 64-year-old Queens grandfather.
Cops said Kumar Ragunath was jaywalking, crossing Northern Boulevard near 41st Road in Long Island City at about 10:25 p.m. on March 7, when a dark-colored Chevy Blazer traveling westbound in the right lane of the busy roadway slammed into him.
Ragunath, 64, of Jamaica, suffered a fatal blow that resulted in massive head trauma, police said. Ragunath, a father of three, and six grandchildren, also suffered a broken leg in the crash. He was taken to Elmhurst Hospital Center, where doctors placed him in a medically induced coma in a lifesaving effort, but he succumbed to his injuries a short while later.
Ragunath worked as a security guard and was headed to his second day on the job at a nearby Holiday Inn hotel when he was struck and killed, police sources said.
Friends and relatives gathered at Ragunath’s home on March 8, at a traditional Guyanese wake for the man they described as “loving and supportive”. Family members, including young nephews, said Ragunath was always fun to be around. “He liked to tell jokes,” a nephew said. “He told the best jokes.”
Police officials said officers would remain at the scene for several days to monitor traffic conditions and urge motorists and pedestrians to call police with any information they may have on the driver or the vehicle that struck Ragunath. A team of NYPD accident investigators are also on the scene, canvassing the area for video surveillance footage from Friday night and reaching out to area residents for information, police said.
Anyone with information is urged to call the Crime Stoppers Hotline at 800- 577-TIPS or click on www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
The hotline is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.