West Sayville Woman Hid SUV After Hit-And-Run Seriously Injured Jogger: DA

WEST SAYVILLE, NY — A West Sayville woman accused of seriously injuring a jogger in a hit-and-run crash was indicted after prosecutors said she fled two crashes and moved her damaged SUV to three locations in an effort to conceal it.

Heather Foster, 50, was arraigned Thursday on charges including leaving the scene of an incident without reporting and tampering with physical evidence, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney said.

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According to prosecutors, Foster was driving a 2021 Mazda CX-5 eastbound on Brook Street in West Sayville at about 4:38 a.m. May 16 when she sideswiped a parked Honda CR-V, causing significant damage to the driver's side.

Foster allegedly did not stop or notify police and continued driving around West Sayville for approximately 50 minutes, prosecutors said.

At about 5:29 a.m., Michele Walters, 60, of Sayville, was jogging eastbound along Brook Street when Foster's Mazda allegedly struck her from behind, according to authorities.

Surveillance video captured the collision, prosecutors said.

After the crash, Foster allegedly stopped briefly and looked at Walters as she lay unconscious on the ground before returning to the Mazda and driving away, according to the district attorney's office.

An Uber driver and passenger found Walters and called 911, prosecutors said. Walters suffered a compound fracture to her left leg and other injuries and underwent multiple surgeries, according to the DA.

Investigators used surveillance footage to track Foster's movements after the crash, prosecutors said.

Foster allegedly drove to a family member's home in Medford before moving the Mazda later that day to a friend's home in Bohemia, where it was stored in a garage. Several days later, she allegedly moved the SUV again, this time to her own garage in West Sayville, prosecutors said.

Suffolk County police Major Case Unit detectives eventually traced the vehicle to Foster's home, authorities said.

Foster was arrested May 20, and investigators seized the Mazda. Prosecutors said the vehicle had damage to its hood and passenger side consistent with both crashes, and pieces of the Mazda were recovered from both crash scenes.

Foster was arraigned before Supreme Court Justice Steven Pilewski on charges of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in serious physical injury, a felony; tampering with physical evidence, a felony; and leaving the scene of an incident without reporting property damage, a traffic infraction.

Pilewski ordered Foster placed on supervised release and suspended her driver's license while the case is pending, prosecutors said. The charges are not bail-eligible under New York law.

Foster is due back in court Oct. 28. She faces up to four years in prison if convicted of the top count, according to prosecutors.

She is represented by attorney Richard Pellegrino, who was not immediately available for comment.

"Leaving the scene of a crash does not make it go away," Tierney said. "Evidence recovered from both scenes allegedly shows the defendant's deliberate attempt to evade responsibility for damaging a parked vehicle and seriously injuring a pedestrian. My office will seek to hold this defendant accountable for the charges she now faces."