Man gets 10 years for fatal hit-run

A New York man was sentenced to 10 years in prison Wednesday for a hit-and-run crash that killed a 40-year-old motorcyclist in Virginia Beach.

Virginia Beach Circuit Court Judge A. Bonwill Shockley ordered Nghiem Nghi Nguyen, 48, to spend a decade in prison for the May 28, 2021, fatal crash. Nguyen pleaded guilty on Dec. 20.

According to the Office of the Commonwealth’s Attorney in Virginia Beach, Nguyen caused the two-vehicle crash that killed Philip Pereira, who was from Massachusetts.

Pereira was approaching the intersection of Indian River Road and Ferrell Parkway when Nguyen failed to yield to the motorcyclist, causing Pereira to crash into the driver’s side of Nguyen’s vehicle.

“Pereira was flung from his motorcycle into the street, where he died from the impact,” the commonwealth’s attorney said in a news release.

After the crash, Nguyen fled, leaving behind parts of his vehicle, including a large taillight, plastic bumper and pieces of blue paneling. He did not assist Pereira or call 911.

The crash was captured on video surveillance from private businesses as well as the city’s camera system. Witnesses also provided police with a description of Nguyen’s vehicle, the attorney’s office said.

After receiving an anonymous tip, officers interviewed the owner of a repair shop in Binghamton, New York, who told authorities Nguyen had brought his truck in for repairs in the days after the crash.

“Nguyen told the shop owner, ‘I screwed up,’ and that he pulled out from a stop sign, was in a crash, and that somebody died,” the news release read.

Investigators also discovered Nguyen reported the accident to his car insurance carrier, admitting that he left the scene of the crash.

Upon analyzing Nguyen’s “battered” truck, it was determined that parts found at the crash scene match the damaged or missing parts from Nguyen’s vehicle, the attorney’s office said.

A warrant for Nguyen’s arrest was issued five days after the crash. Nguyen turned himself in to police.