Nephew Of Stony Brook Hit-And-Run Victim Asks Public For Help

STONY BROOK, NY — Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and the family of Ronald Destefano are seeking help from the public in finding the person who police said killed Destefano in a hit-and-run in Stony Brook on Dec. 20.

Destefano, 54, of Lake Grove, was crossing Route 347 from south to north at Hallock Road when he was struck by a westbound vehicle at 6:45 a.m., police said. The driver drove off, police said.Destefano was pronounced dead at the scene. Detectives believe a silver vehicle, which sustained front and/or passenger-side damage, may have been involved in the crash.

Destefano's nephew, Frank Destefano, 31, of Port Jefferson Station, speaks for his family when he asked anyone with knowledge of the fatal hit-and-run to step forward. Frank said there's limited evidence because it was a hit-and-run on a snowy morning, and that police are working hard to solve the case.

"We need the general public's help to get this case solved and bring whoever's perpetuating this to court," Frank told Patch. "My family realized that's not going to bring my uncle back, but this person does need to answer for what happened in a court of law. That's all."

The family is not out for vengeance, Frank said.

"We just want to know why the person didn't stop. I understand it was dark and it was snowy, but there's no way you didn't know that you hit someone. We want to know the reason. Maybe there's a reason why the person didn't stop. They were having a baby or something; I don't know. There's gotta be some explanation, and this person needs to see their day in court."

Frank was the godson of Ronald, and he said he and his uncle were "very, very close." The suddenness of his uncle's death was the toughest thing for his family, Frank added.

"We just woke up on Sunday," he said. "It was a normal Sunday, and two hours later, we're having a family powwow that this horrific thing happened. It's sad, but I know my uncle wouldn't want us to be sad. He would want us to move on. Because there are no real answers; it just happened, and we don't have a 'Why did this happen?' or 'How did this happen?' Maybe if the person comes forward, something like this won't happen again, because we could correct things from that day so that this won't happen to another family."

Police ask anyone with information to reach Suffolk County Crime Stoppers and leave an anonymous tip via phone call at 1-800-220-TIPS, using a mobile app which can be downloaded through the App Store or Google Play by searching P3 Tips, or online at www.P3Tips.com. A cash reward of up to $5,000 is offered for information that leads to an arrest.