Stamford Police have charged a Cos Cob man in connection with the November 2023 hit and run that resulted in the death of pedestrian, Marie Jean-Charles, a 74-year-0ld woman who worked at ShopRite.
In a release on Wednesday, Stamford Police said their Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Squad “CARS” had completed their investigation into the collision on West Main Street near the junction with Alvord Lane that took place at approximately 6:13 am on November 21, 2023.
Ms Jean-Charles, a Stamford resident, was crossing West Main St from north to south. The pedestrian was struck in the eastbound travel lanes of West Main Street by a vehicle that was traveling at what is believed to be a high rate of speed. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene.
The offending vehicle did not stop after striking the pedestrian and continued driving east bound on West Main St.
Stamford Police “CARS” identified a suspect early on in the investigation and seized the suspect vehicle the afternoon on the day of the collision.
Salvatore Longo. Photo courtesy Stamford Police Dept
The suspect, identified as Salvatore Longo, a 58 year-old resident of Cos Cob, was interviewed the day of the collision and denied striking a pedestrian with his vehicle. The suspect vehicle was seized, and under the authority of a search warrant, physical evidence was recovered from the vehicle that needed to be analyzed and tested by the State of CT Forensic Laboratory.
The results of those tests were received by the Police Department the week of March 8, 2024. After those results were received an arrest warrant application was prepared by Ofc. Lindsey Yanicky. That warrant was approved by the Stamford State’s Attorney’s office and signed by the Hon. Judge Hudock.
The warrant was for the charges of Misconduct with a Motor Vehicle, and Felony Evading Responsibility, and carried a $750,000 court set bond.
On March 20, 2024, under a pre-arranged agreement with his attorney, Salvatore Longo surrendered himself to the Stamford Police Department and was arrested for the charges specified on the warrant. Longo is being held on bond until his arraignment, which is scheduled for Thursday March 21, 2024 at Stamford Superior Court.
Stamford Police CARS would like to thank the many citizens of Stamford that called us and helped us identify what year, make, and model of the vehicle that we were looking for regarding this collision, that information helped us develop a suspect vehicle, and ultimately the suspect. As always, we appreciate any and all assistance from the community.
This crash was investigated by Sgt. Jeffrey Booth, Ofc. Lindsey Yanicky, and Ofc. Cory Fisher.