USPS driver charged in fatal Hell's Kitchen hit-and-run
Police said USPS employee James Simmons, 61, hit 66-year-old Chester "Chet" Mazur with a postal box truck as Mazur crossed Ninth Avenue near West 55th Street early Aug. 8, then left the scene before being arrested.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Police said Chester "Chet" Mazur, 66, was crossing Ninth Avenue midblock near West 55th Street in Hell's Kitchen shortly after 5:30 a.m. on Aug. 8 when USPS employee James Simmons hit him while driving a postal service box truck and did not remain at the scene. Medics took Mazur to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where he died. Police later arrested Simmons, 61, and prosecutors charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. Friends and relatives remembered Mazur as a longtime New York music figure who had performed in the East Village the night before he was killed.
Early-morning hit-and-run on Ninth Avenue
Police said the crash happened just after 5:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, on Ninth Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, where 66-year-old Chester "Chet" Mazur was crossing midblock near West 55th Street.
Police said USPS employee James Simmons, driving a postal service box truck, hit Mazur and did not remain at the scene. Medics took Mazur to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where he died.
A block by his home in Hell's Kitchen
Reports placed the crash on Ninth Avenue near West 55th Street; ABC7 described the scene as between West 54th and West 55th streets, while FOX5 described West 55th Street and Ninth Avenue. The Daily News and CBS reported that Mazur was on or near the block where he lived.
Chester Mazur was remembered as a fixture of the music scene
Mazur, 66, was a vocalist for The Rasslers and had performed at Otto's Shrunken Head in the East Village late Friday before he was killed while heading home, the Daily News reported.
Friends described him as a major Lower East Side personality whose music and friendships stretched across decades. CBS reported that his death shocked the local music community.
Police tied the case to a USPS employee
Police arrested Simmons, 61, of Queens, and prosecutors charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The Daily News reported that he was released without bail after arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
A criminal complaint cited by the Daily News said a postal inspector tracked the location of a white 2019 Peterbilt box truck and police found a long gray hair on the grille that matched Mazur's distinctive hair.
USPS said it was cooperating
USPS said it was deeply saddened, extended thoughts and prayers to Mazur's family and friends, and said the Postal Service was cooperating fully with law enforcement. ABC7 reported that the NYPD Highway Collision Investigation Squad was investigating.