Suspect arrested in fatal hit-and-run
NEW PALTZ — Police have charged a man in connection with a Jan. 23 hit-and-run that left a SUNY New Paltz student dead off the side of state Route 208.
On Monday, Ty Kobelt, 33, of Gardiner, was arraigned in Ulster County Court on charges of second-degree manslaughter, tampering with physical evidence and leaving the scene of a fatal accident, police said at a Monday afternoon news conference on SUNY New Paltz’s campus. A two-month investigation identified Kobelt as the driver of the vehicle that struck 22-yearold Raymond Rattray off the southbound lane of Route 208, just off campus. Rattray, who was a junior at the college, was found dead the following day after his mother reported him missing.
Law enforcement authorities declined to say much about the investigation, saying that it remained active, though they did say that the vehicle was located within 15 hours after Rattray’s body was found. Kobelt had taken steps to conceal the damage to his vehicle, a 2018 Honda Accord, police said.
The Ulster County Sheriff’s Office, Ulster County district attorney’s office, State Police’s Forensic Identification Unit and Collision Reconstruction Unit, and town of New Paltz Police jointly conducted the investigation, according to Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa, who later said the community had also played an important role.
Rattray’s mother reported him missing the day after he did not return home from class. The sheriff’s office got involved at that point, Det. Lt. Abram Markiewicz said during Monday’s news conference. Rattray’s body was found the following afternoon about 20 feet off the shoulder of the road in a wooded area, according to police.
Police soon determined that Rattray was struck by a dark sedan traveling south at 5:11 p.m. while he was walking home on the shoulder of the road. The vehicle fled the scene, though it sustained damage to the front end on the passenger side. Police obtained information about the vehicle based on camera footage, a spokesperson from the county sheriff’s office has previously told the Times Union.
Rattray had been at SUNY New Paltz for five years and was a junior when he was killed, according to Michele Halstead, the vice president for administration and finance at the college, who was at the news conference. He was enrolled under the school’s Educational Opportunity Program, which aims to help historically underserved students earn a college degree.
Police declined to share information about Kobelt, though a public records search indicates he has no prior criminal history. He was indicted by a grand jury Thursday and arrested the following day.
The hit-and-run is one of three fatal vehicular accidents involving pedestrians in Ulster County already this year. Earlier this month, two people in their 70s — one in a wheelchair — were killed crossing a road in the town of Marlborough. And in January, 21-year-old Starllie Swonyoung was struck and killed in Saugerties. Police recently announced an arrest in connection with the Saugerties case.
All three accidents happened on state roads, over which counties and municipalities have little authority. The state Department of Transportation sets speed limits and other road rules on state roads. But Ulster County Executive Jen Metzger said Monday that her office was working with DOT to conduct traffic studies of some of the county’s most dangerous state routes, which could lead to reduced speeds, more signage and other changes.
Metzger also said the county would step up enforcement — particularly of speeding and distracted driving — in high-risk areas, and will soon roll out an educational awareness campaign.
“We have to promote a culture of respect for all ways of getting around, whether by foot, by bike or by car, and we must all act as responsible citizens on the road,” she said.
Metzger said the county plans to purchase about 20 radar speed signs that tell drivers how fast they’re going and collect data, which the county will use to identify areas for additional enforcement. She said she recently met with local police chiefs in the county along with the sheriff’s office about creating a task force to step up enforcement.
Kobelt is being held in the Ulster County Jail on $250,000 bail as he awaits to appear before an Ulster County grand jury.
Speaking to the media and SUNY officials, Ulster County District Attorney Emmanuel Nneji promised to prosecute the case to the fullest extent of the law.
“Many people — friends, family, neighbors, acquaintances, young and old — are hurting as a direct result of recent vehicular and pedestrian tragedies,” Nneji said. “Our hearts and prayers go out to those families, those victims and their families and friends.”