Arrest In Nicki Minaj's Father’s Death: Police

MINEOLA, NY — Nassau County homicide police are expected to announce an arrest in the death of rapper Nicki Minaj’s father at police headquarters in Mineola on Wednesday, according to a police news release.

Minaj’s 64-year-old father, Robert Maraj, died Saturday at a local hospital, a day after he was struck in a hit-and-run walking on Roslyn Road in Mineola, police said. A police source confirmed for News 4 that details of the arrest would be released at a press briefing.

Police said Saturday that Maraj, of Mineola, was walking on Roslyn Road at the intersection of Raff Avenue at about 6:15 p.m. on Friday when he was struck by a northbound car that did not stop. He was transported to a local hospital in “critical condition,” police said.

Known by her professional name, Minaj, 38, was born Onika Tanya Maraj in Trinidad and Tobago, but grew up in South Jamaica, Queens, Newsday reported. Minaj has not publicly commented on her father's death, but she has spoken out in a 2012 interview with Nightline, saying that her father struggled with an alcohol and drug addiction and was abusive, the Daily News reported.

Celebrity news site TMZ reported there are photographs of Minaj and her father together over the years showing that they had a decent relationship.

Minaj's brother, Jelani Maraj of Baldwin, was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2020 for repeatedly raping an 11-year-old girl. A family attorney told Newsday, Maraj's father, Robert, was present during the trial of her brother and loved him dearly.