Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A West Sayville woman has been arrested after allegedly striking a 60-year-old jogger with her SUV and fleeing the scene in Sayville early Saturday morning, according to News 12 Long Island. The suspect, Heather Foster, 50, of West Sayville, was driving a 2021 Mazda CX-5 when she hit the jogger — later identified as Michele Walters — and drove away without stopping or rendering aid, Suffolk County Police said.
The incident took place on Brook Street, west of Cherry Avenue, in Sayville at approximately 5:45 a.m. on Saturday. Walters, 60, was found lying on the side of the road by responders who arrived at the scene. The early morning hour means visibility conditions would have been limited, though dawn was approaching — a time of day when pedestrians and joggers are often active but can be difficult to see, particularly on residential and semi-rural roadways.
As News 12 Long Island previously reported, Walters suffered serious injuries in the collision and was transported to South Side University Hospital for treatment. The nature and severity of a hit-and-run in which the vehicle fled without the driver assisting the victim underscores the seriousness with which Suffolk County investigators pursued the case in the days following the crash.
Following the hit-and-run, detectives from the Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit and Fifth Squad launched an investigation to identify and locate the driver responsible. Their work paid off by Tuesday morning — nearly four days after the crash — when Foster was located and taken into custody on Cherry Avenue, not far from the scene of the original incident, according to News 12 Long Island.
In connection with the arrest, investigators also executed a search warrant at Foster’s home on Lorraine Circle in West Sayville. During the search, detectives seized evidence from the residence, including the 2021 Mazda CX-5 believed to have been the vehicle involved in the crash, police said. The recovery of the suspect vehicle at Foster’s own home was a significant development in the case, providing investigators with physical evidence directly tied to the hit-and-run.
Foster, who is 50 years old, was taken into custody Tuesday and was scheduled to be arraigned in court on Wednesday, May 21, 2026. At her arraignment, she faces the charge of leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injury — a serious criminal offense in New York State that reflects the gravity of leaving an injured victim at the roadside without assistance.
Location & Road Context
The collision occurred on Brook Street in Sayville, specifically on the stretch west of Cherry Avenue — a residential corridor in the hamlet of Sayville in the Town of Islip, Suffolk County. Brook Street in this area is a local road that sees both vehicle and pedestrian traffic, particularly from joggers and walkers making use of the neighborhood streets in the early morning hours.
Sayville is a densely residential hamlet situated along the South Shore of Long Island, and its neighborhood streets, while not high-speed corridors, can still present dangers to pedestrians and joggers — particularly in the pre-dawn hours when lighting is limited and vehicle operators may not be alert to those on foot. For more on local accident trends and road conditions in Suffolk County, Long Island Traffic maintains ongoing coverage of incidents across the region.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
The investigation into the hit-and-run was handled jointly by the Suffolk County Police Major Case Unit and the Fifth Squad — units that typically handle serious and complex criminal investigations within the department. The involvement of the Major Case Unit signals that Suffolk County authorities treated this hit-and-run with the full weight of a criminal investigation from the outset, rather than as a routine traffic matter.
According to News 12 Long Island, a search warrant was executed at Foster’s home on Lorraine Circle in West Sayville, where detectives seized the 2021 Mazda CX-5 involved in the crash along with additional evidence. Foster was taken into custody Tuesday morning on Cherry Avenue and was set to be arraigned Wednesday on the charge of leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injury. In New York State, this charge — governed under Vehicle and Traffic Law — can carry significant criminal penalties depending on the degree of injury involved, reflecting the state’s serious stance on motorists who flee after causing harm.
This case follows two earlier Long Island Traffic reports on this same incident from May 18, 2026, when Walters was first found injured at the scene, and a subsequent arrest report from May 20, bringing the full arc of events — from the initial discovery of the victim to the arrest and pending arraignment — into focus.
Broader Impact
Hit-and-run incidents involving pedestrians and joggers on Long Island’s residential streets have become a recurring concern for Suffolk County law enforcement. In this case, the victim Michele Walters was left with serious injuries on the side of Brook Street at a time when she would have been largely alone and vulnerable. Under New York Vehicle and Traffic Law, leaving the scene of an accident involving serious physical injury is a felony-level offense, meaning Foster — if convicted — could face significant prison time rather than a minor traffic penalty. Joggers, walkers, and cyclists on Long Island’s local roads are encouraged to wear reflective gear and remain visible, especially during early morning hours when the risk of being struck by an inattentive or impaired driver is elevated. For more on pedestrian and cyclist safety incidents across Long Island, Long Island Traffic maintains a full archive of reported crashes.