NEED TO KNOW
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Peter Morris, of South Farmingdale, N.Y., was struck outside of Woodward Parkway Elementary School shortly before noon on Friday, Nov. 7
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Morris was a Vietnam War veteran
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Police allege Randy Colon, 24, of Hicksville, N.Y., struck Morris’ SUV with a 2013 Nissan Altima and then left the scene on foot, according to a felony complaint
An 80-year-old Army veteran was fatally struck by the driver of a stolen vehicle on Long Island on Friday, Nov. 7, outside an elementary school, authorities said. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and was later arrested, according to the Nassau County Police Department.
Peter Morris, of South Farmingdale, N.Y., was struck outside of Woodward Parkway Elementary School shortly before noon on Friday, police said. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Morris had just attended an event honoring veterans at his granddaughter’s school, his family told News 12 Long Island. Morris served in the military during the Vietnam War.
Police allege Randy Colon, 24, of Hicksville, N.Y., struck Morris’ SUV with a 2013 Nissan Altima and then left the scene on foot, according to a felony complaint obtained by PEOPLE, which also alleges that Colon had admitted to a detective that he had stolen the Altima but did not say from where. It matches the description of a vehicle reported stolen in Suffolk County, the complaint says. Authorities said Colon was driving without a license.
Morris had been sitting in the driver’s seat behind two parked vehicles at the time of the crash and the impact propelled his SUV “off the shoulder, across the grass and sidewalk, and into a parked vehicle in the elementary school parking lot,” the complaint states.
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Colon was charged with manslaughter, leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death, grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property. He has pleaded not guilty. He was remanded with a mandatory license suspension, according to Nicole Turso, a spokesperson for the county district attorney’s office.
The Nassau County Legal Aid Society, which is representing Colon, did not immediately return a request for comment on Wednesday, Nov. 12.
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