Man Lying In East Harlem Crosswalk Hit By Unlicensed Driver

EAST HARLEM, NY — A 28-year-old man was pronounced dead Thursday evening after being hit by a hit-and-run driver while lying in an East Harlem crosswalk, police said.

Police responded around 6:15 p.m. Thursday to a 911 call reporting a pedestrian hit in the intersection of East 120th Street and Third Avenue.

Police found the victim, identified as 28-year-old Ganesh Jaman, a Bronx resident, lying unconscious in the street with trauma about his body. An investigation found that Jaman had been lying on the pavement when he was struck in the crosswalk by a white Mercedes Benz.

Paramedics pronounced Jaman dead at the scene. Police later found the car about three blocks east, on East 120th and Pleasant Avenue. The driver, 43-year-old Marcos Villegas of Brooklyn, was arrested and charged with aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle.

Police are still trying to determine how Jaman ended up in the roadway. The Daily News reported that detectives are investigating whether Jaman had collapsed in the street before being hit.