Incident location, Long Island
What Happened
A 66-year-old Holbrook man was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver on Broadway Avenue Thursday night, becoming the latest pedestrian fatality in a string of deadly crashes across Suffolk County, according to Greater Long Island.
Mario Corvasce was in the roadway in front of 780 Broadway Avenue at approximately 9:15 p.m. when he was hit by a southbound vehicle. Suffolk County Police said the driver did not remain at the scene after the collision — fleeing without rendering aid or identifying themselves to authorities. Corvasce was transported by emergency responders to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where he was pronounced dead.
The identity and description of the striking vehicle have not been publicly released as of this report. No information about the driver’s direction of origin, vehicle make, model, or color was immediately available from police. Suffolk Police have not said what brought Corvasce into the roadway at the time of the crash.
The fatal crash is the latest in a series of deadly and injurious pedestrian incidents that have struck Suffolk County in recent weeks and months. As Greater Long Island noted, an unidentified man was fatally struck by a westbound SUV on Middle Country Road in Selden in early May. In Copiague, a separate hit-and-run pedestrian death led to the arrest and charging of a 19-year-old Copiague man for leaving the scene of a crash involving a fatality. Earlier this month, a Deer Park driver was arrested and charged in connection with a hit-and-run wreck in West Islip that injured a 13-year-old boy on his bicycle. And in May, a West Sayville woman was arrested after a hit-and-run in Sayville left a 60-year-old Sayville woman — who had been out for a jog — hospitalized.
The Holbrook fatality fits a deeply troubling statistical picture for Long Island’s roads. A 2024 report by State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, cited by Greater Long Island, found that traffic deaths are rising across New York State — but Long Island stands out starkly. In 2022, Nassau and Suffolk counties together accounted for 20 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities statewide, with 254 people killed across both counties. Suffolk County alone was responsible for 164 of those deaths — more than any other single county in New York that year. Traffic deaths on Long Island have climbed by 40 percent since 2019, according to the same state report.
Hit-and-run crashes add a particularly dangerous dimension to the crisis. Federal data indicates that roughly one in four pedestrian fatalities nationwide involves a hit-and-run driver — a statistic that underscores how frequently those responsible for deadly crashes attempt to avoid accountability. The Holbrook crash is at least the second pedestrian hit-and-run fatality in Suffolk County in recent weeks, and potentially the third, depending on the outcome of the Selden incident investigation.
Suffolk Police are asking anyone with information about the crash on Broadway Avenue to come forward. Tips can be submitted by contacting Major Case Unit detectives directly at 631.852.6555, calling Crime Stoppers at 1.800.220.TIPS, submitting through the P3 Tips app, or going online to P3Tips.com. Tips that lead to an arrest may qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000.
Location & Road Context
Broadway Avenue in Holbrook is a north-south corridor running through central Suffolk County, serving residential neighborhoods and local commercial strips in the Holbrook hamlet. The stretch near 780 Broadway Avenue — the address in front of which Corvasce was struck — sits within a moderately trafficked section of the road. Holbrook falls within Suffolk County, which our local incident database has recorded in connection with 411 accidents.
Broadway Avenue intersects with a number of key arteries in the area and is used regularly by both local and through traffic. The southbound direction of the fleeing vehicle at the time of the 9:15 p.m. crash suggests the driver was heading away from more densely commercial portions of the corridor. Evening lighting conditions at that hour in June would have been low, though sunset in the Holbrook area typically occurs around 8:15–8:20 p.m., meaning the crash took place approximately one hour after dark.
Investigation & Legal Proceedings
Suffolk County Police Department’s Major Case Unit has taken over the investigation into Corvasce’s death. The Major Case Unit typically handles the most serious criminal and fatal incidents in the county, and its involvement signals that authorities are treating this as a potential homicide-by-vehicle case depending on the circumstances of the driver’s flight. As of the time of this report, no arrests have been announced and no suspect description has been made public.
Anyone with relevant information — including dashcam footage, surveillance video, or eyewitness accounts from the Broadway Avenue area around 9:15 p.m. Thursday — is urged to contact investigators immediately at 631.852.6555. The $5,000 reward offered through Crime Stoppers applies to any tip that leads directly to an arrest in the case.
Broader Impact
Federal data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration indicates that approximately one in four pedestrian fatalities in the United States involves a hit-and-run driver — a figure that makes cases like Corvasce’s death all the more urgent for investigators and community members to help solve. Suffolk County’s ongoing pattern of pedestrian fatalities in 2025 and 2026, including multiple recent hit-and-run deaths, has placed the county among the most dangerous in New York State for those traveling on foot. Residents in the Holbrook area and beyond are encouraged to share any information that could help identify the vehicle or driver responsible for Mario Corvasce’s death.