Man Killed On Highway Reportedly Stole SUV, Fled Cops

WESTHAMPTON, NY — A Lindenhurst man killed while crossing Sunrise Highway in Oakdale on May 5 reportedly stole an SUV and was struck down as he tried to flee police, the woman whose vehicle was stolen told Patch in an exclusive interview.

According to Suffolk Police, 25-year-old Matthew Donadeo, of Lindenhurst, was killed while crossing Sunrise Highway last Sunday. He was crossing eastbound Sunrise Highway, near Connetquot Avenue, when he was struck in the left lane by a 2017 Audi at 12:07 p.m.

The driver of the Audi, 23-year-old Rose Baltazar, of Bay Shore, was alone in her vehicle and not injured, police said.

Lisa Fox, who owns a business in Westhampton Beach with her husband David, posted on Facebook Tuesday about the reported story behind the man's death: "On Sunday morning at approximately 11:08 a.m. my car was stolen from the parking lot of our office, which led to a high speed police chase on Sunrise Highway heading west," she wrote.

"After ditching the car on the Sunrise highway in Oakdale the person who stole my car ran and was unfortunately hit and killed by an oncoming car," she said. "All of these events are tragic and senseless."

Fox told Patch in an interview that she normally never goes to the office on a Sunday but she'd gone to see if there was any mail. "I was literally in the office for eight minutes. I opened the back door to our office, walked outside, and the car was gone," she said.

Fox said she'd left the car running but had the key with her, since she needed her keys to open the door to the business. Her vehicle, a Lexus GX 460, will keep running without the key, until the car is stopped. Once it's turned off, a driver can't restart the vehicle without the key, she said.

After calling the police, Fox said she then called her husband and son; her son remembered the Life360 app, which they'd installed when he was learning to drive, and they were able to track the vehicle and tell police where it was headed, she said. Although Fox's husband and son tried to catch up with the driver, they were unable to do so, she added.

The chase ended up in Oakdale, Fox said. "The guy ditched the car on the side of the road. He got out and ran, he ran into oncoming traffic and was instantly killed. It's a very tragic and horrible story," she said.

Both Fox and her husband are concerned about the young woman who hit him — and how that incident may impact her forever.

The incident has left Fox deeply shaken.

"First, you feel violated. But then you realize the fragility of the whole situation," she said. "I never expected the police to say to me that the perpetrator had just been killed."

While they were tracking the car, Fox said, "We were praying he didn't hit somebody else. The bottom line is a car is replaceable. We didn't care about the car but we were concerned about people on the road or a person in another car."

Reflecting on how event unfolded, Fox said quietly, "Nobody wants a person to die. That's someone's child."

The entire incident took just about one full hour from start to finish, the couple said.

"It's crazy, all of the lives that were affected in that time period, so many lives affected," Fox said.

Fox was able to get her car back; it was impounded for a few days while the investigation was ongoing.

While the individual "went through" her whole pocketbook, all that was missing when her possessions, including her purse and cellphone were returned, was $100.

"All he had was the $100, a cigarette lighter, and 50 cents," when he was found, she said.

Fox said despite the nature of what took place, she still believes Westhampton Beach is a bucolic community. "I don't feel unsafe. I just feel a little bit more aware of my surroundings and things. We live in a community that's safe — we just have to be more alert," she said.

Having been sited in the office since 2004, Sunday's incident is the first time anything has ever been stolen, she said.

After posting about the incident on Facebook, Fox said the community has reached out with concern and gratitude that she and her family are safe. "Not a lot happens in our sleepy town so it's a big deal," she said. "I appreciate everyone reaching out and extending their cars and sweet offers to drive me here or there if I needed – or just needed a hug. The morale of the story is lock your car doors."

David Fox said it was ironic that they'd downloaded the app to keep an eye on their son but it had ended up helping them to track the progress of the stolen vehicle.

Fox thanked the Westhampton Beach Village Police Department, Suffolk County Police and New York State troopers, as well as a K-9 unit, for their help.

"Sadly, a life ended, the psyche of a woman who hit this kid has to deal with that — but I'm grateful that nothing else happened," she said.

Police said the case remains under investigation in regard to why the man was crossing the road.

"We have not released anything further on this incident," other than what was initially released, Suffolk County Police said. "Any information about a car being stolen from another jurisdiction would have to come from that police department."

Westhampton Beach Village Police did not initially respond to a request for comment about the reportedly stolen vehicle.