The driver of a vehicle that struck and hospitalized a University of Massachusetts bicyclist in a hit-and-run collision last weekend has been identified, police said.
A 19-year-old Orange man, whose name was not disclosed because he has yet to be summoned to court, will soon be ordered to appear in Eastern Hampshire District Court in Belchertown on the charge of leaving the scene of a personal injury accident.
Around 10:22 p.m. on April 17, while riding a bicycle on Main Street near the roadway’s intersection with Gray Street in downtown Amherst, Matthew Oliverio, a 22-year-old UMass biology major, was seriously injured after being struck by a dark-colored sedan, officials said. Witnesses told police the car involved drove away from the scene.
Oliverio, originally from Braintree, was treated at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield and has since been released from the hospital, police said.
The suspect’s vehicle is now in police custody and is being examined by local and state officials. No court date has been set.
-Collegian News Staff
djo • Apr 28, 2010 at 12:07 am
The Collegian has every right to publish the name of the driver. Just because he was not placed in handcuffs does not mean police are obligated to protect his name. In fact, they are required under public information statutes to provide the name if it’s requested. What if the paper wants to cover the suspect’s court arraignment? Don’t they need the name to know who it is? Step up reporters, or the cops are going to treat you like a public relations staff and not journalists.