killed while crossing Hempstead Turnpike in West Hempstead Wednesday night has been identified as Salem Enayetullah, a former Hofstra student who hailed from Massachusetts.
Originally from Sharon, Mass., Enayetullah had been living in West Hempstead and had studied at Hofstra University up until late 2010.
According to his Facebook profile, Enayetullah, a graduate of Sharon High School, was studying both Math and English and had planned to graduate with the Class of 2011, however, a Hofstra spokeswoman said he had not taken classes at the university since the Fall 2010 semester.
One report said that Enayetullah was out for his nightly 10-mile run on June 15, when he was fatally struck, only blocks from his apartment.
Nassau County Police said Enayetullah was crossing Hempstead Turnpike near Poplar Street, heading south to north, just before midnight when he was hit by a 2008 Chevrolet box truck traveling westbound.
An eye-witness said he was wearing headphones as he made his way across the roadway. According to the witness, the car paused for a moment after hitting the victim, but then the driver fled.
Nassau County Police caught up with the alleged driver, Joaquim Gloria, 38, of Mineola, and placed him under arrest. He has been charged with Leaving the Scene of an Accident with Death and was arraigned at First District Court in Hempstead on Thursday. The judge set his bail at $25,000.
Enayetullah was transported to Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
Upon learning of his death, friends of Enayetullah began expressing their loss on Facebook Thursday night and making arrangements to travel to Massachusetts to say their final goodbyes.
One young man wrote,"Salem was legitimately one of the warmest and most caring friends that I have ever come to encounter in this lifetime. The world has truly lost one of its real good guys."
