SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A young man who was critically injured in a hit-and-run accident believed to have involved an investigator for the local district attorney’s office died on Thursday, police said.
Seth Michael Collier, who was 18, had been struck by a vehicle two days earlier while crossing an intersection in Syracuse.
His family thanked friends, relatives and “individuals who we never knew” for their support and prayers. It said it was donating his organs so “Seth may live on and help others.”
The driver of the county-owned vehicle, Peter Rauch, of Liverpool, fled the scene and was later arrested on a charge of leaving the scene of a serious personal injury accident, police said. He pleaded not guilty on Wednesday and was released on bail.
Rauch, an investigator for the Onondaga County district attorney’s office, was fired after being charged. Rauch also worked as a part-time police officer for the Liverpool Police Department.
Oswego County prosecutor Mark Moody told Syracuse.com additional charges against Rauch are possible.
A Syracuse firefighter was suspended amid the accident investigation, but the reason for the suspension hasn’t been disclosed.
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This story has been corrected to show the hit-and-run victim was 18, not 17.
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