DNA cracks hit-run
Bust in crash that killed former HS gridiron star
DNA left behind in a fatal Brooklyn hit-and-run crash helped cops find the heartless driver who killed a homeless former high school football star, police sources tell the Daily News.
It took the NYPD’s Brooklyn collision investigation squad a half year to crack the case of Michael Williams, 45, who was fatally struck by a Nissan Pathfinder on Feb. 17.
The News previously reported on the former defensive back’s struggles with addiction, mental health issues and homelessness after his dreams of gridiron glory fell apart.
A driver slammed into Williams outside a homeless shelter on Atlantic Ave., ending his tragic downward spiral. He clung to life for seven weeks before dying April 5 at Kings County Hospital.
“It’s a good feeling when you get evidence and make progress in a case, but you’re never really happy about any success because it’s born out of tragedy,” squad Sgt. Eric Healy told The News. “But it’s good to know you are getting justice for the family.”
Cops found the Pathfinder abandoned 2 miles from the scene by piecing together video footage, according to police sources. The ride was registered in the name of Ameris Baez, 53, of Baldwin, L.I., sources said. But that wasn’t enough for an arrest.
Further detective work found Baez’s DNA inside the SUV and Williams’ on its exterior — sufficient evidence for an indictment, sources said.
“The car was eventually discovered dumped, which was a trove of evidence,” said a law enforcement source who spoke on the condition of anonymity. “It wasn’t stolen and had connectivity to the person who was ultimately charged.”
Cops arrested Baez on Saturday at his home on Long Island. He was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of a fatal accident, unlicensed aggravated driving and driving without a license.
In an exclusive interview, Healy highlighted the case, along with a second hit-and-run his unit solved this month involving a reputed Crips gang member.
The closed cases come in what will likely be the deadliest year on city roads since Mayor de Blasio took office pledging to make streets safer for pedestrians and cyclists through his Vision Zero campaign.
A recent report by the safestreets group Transportation Alternatives found that fatal crashes through June 30 killed at least 124 New Yorkers — more than in the first half of any other year in the de Blasio administration. The collision investigation squad has made 54 arrests across the city this year, according to the NYPD.
Cops got a break in the second case through a paper trail documenting repairs to a Mercedes-Benz involved in a hit-and-run in East Flatbush that left Rudolph Philips with brain damage.
Philips, 57, was unloading groceries on June 23 at 10 p.m. outside his home on Avenue D near E. 38th St. when he was hit. He is still clinging to life at Kings County Hospital.
Insurance records documenting damage to the Mercedes, as well as shoe-leather investigative work, led cops to Dejuan Smartt, 24, sources said.
Smartt was arrested Aug. 11 driving the same Mercedes-Benz, sources said. He’s accused of a slew of charges, including assaulting a police officer during his arrest.
“It’s insulting that someone could hurt somebody else to the extent that [collision investigation squad] is involved and then take steps to cover that up as if they don’t care,” Healy said. “How do you hurt somebody and just move on like nothing happened?”
Attorneys for Smartt and Baez did not respond to inquiries.