Man Sentenced To Prison For Fatal 105 MPH Hit-And-Run Nassau Crash: DA

A Queens man found guilty of manslaughter for a fatal hit-and-run crash in Franklin Square last year that killed a taxi driver was sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison on Thursday, according to Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas.

Duke Obule, 24, pleaded guilty on June 7 in front of judge Christopher Quinn to charges including:

• second degree manslaughter
• second degree assault
• leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in death
• leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in physical injury
• third degree assault
• second degree aggravated unlicensed operating of a motor vehicle

In June, he entered he plea just hours before the trial was supposed to begin. The DA's office recommended a maximum sentence of 7.5 to 15 years in jail.

In April 2016, Obule was driving with a suspended license eastbound on Hempstead Turnpike, in the rain, at speeds up to 105 mph, in a 2016 BMW, with a 20-year old passenger in the front seat.

He was traveling from a hookah lounge in Farmingdale prior to crashing into a 2009 Chevrolet Impala taxi cab being driven by 47-year-old Paul Mitacek, of Elmont.

The impact, which was caught on surveillance video, pushed the taxi into a telephone pole on the corner of Hempstead Turnpike and Lincoln Road.

Google Maps image/The scene of the crash in Franklin Square.

The taxi nearly wrapped around the pole and Mitacek died in the car.

He was the father of three children between the ages of seven and 12 and was working as a taxi driver for a local cab company at the time of the crash.

After the crash, Obule exited the car and ran from the scene, abandoning his passenger who was not able to move because of her injuries. The passenger was carried to a bench by witnesses and later taken to the hospital with a broken ankle when the police arrived at the scene.

Obule was found near the scene less than an hour later and was carrying the key to the BMW.

“This cowardly defendant’s outrageous recklessness cost the life of an innocent and hardworking father of three when he sped into Paul Mitacek’s cab and then fled the scene,” Singas said. “This sentence sends a clear message to those who drive with a suspended license, dangerously speed, and leave the scene of a crash that they will face serious consequences for their recklessness. My heart goes out to the Mitacek family for their loss.”