Westfield High School Grad Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash In North Carolina

WESTFIELD, NJ — Ryan Zadrozny, a 2020 Westfield High School graduate, was killed in a hit-and-run crash in North Carolina on Sunday.

On Dec. 1 at around 2:12 a.m., Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers went to the 300 block West Morehead Street for a pedestrian being hit by a motor vehicle.

Officers found an unresponsive man later identified as Zadrozny, 23, in the roadway.

A preliminary investigation found that Zadrozny, along with two pedestrians, were crossing West Morehead Street in a marked crosswalk.

As Zadrozny was crossing the road, a Mercedes Benz, which Mache Ulysses Darby, 40, was driving, was going southeast on West Morehead Street at a high rate of speed, said police.

The Mercedes Benz hit Zadrozny. Zadrozny was pronounced dead on the scene.

Darby kept driving and fled the scene in the Mercedez Benz. The two pedestrians with Zadrozny were uninjured.

Central Division officers found the Mercedes a few blocks from the crash. Officers tried to stop the vehicle. Darby fled from officers and crashed after a short chase, said police.

Officers apprehended Darby and Medic took him to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Darby was found to be impaired at the time of the crash. Excessive speed and impaired driving are contributing factors for this vehicle collision, said police.

Darby was charged with felony death by vehicle, felony hit & run, felony flee to elude, and reckless driving.

According to wbtv.com, Darby was also charged in another fatal hit-and-run crash in 2011. In that crash, a pedestrian was killed, and he also fled that scene. Darby was charge with felony hit-and-run, driving while having a revoked license, and possession of marijuana. He was later found guilty of the hit-and-run and given a suspended sentence.

Any witnesses to the Dec. 1 crash, or anyone with information concerning the crash, should contact Detective Mercedes at 704-432-2169 Ext# 5 or Crime Stoppers at 704-334-1600. The public can also visit the Crime Stoppers website at charlottecrimestoppers.com. The report number for this case is 20241201-0212-01.

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