Man hit by DeWitt police car found dead on road Identified

On Monday night, a tragic incident occurred in East Syracuse where a DeWitt police car hit a 68-year-old pedestrian, resulting in their death.

According to the authorities, Steven Zalewski, who resided in Syracuse, has been identified as the deceased.

According to a news release from DeWitt police on Tuesday, their initial investigation revealed that Zalewski was walking on a sloped median on Bridge Street around 10:30 p.m. while wearing dark clothing. Although the cause of his entry onto the road is still unknown, police stated that he was already on the ground when he was hit by the police car.

Officer Kevin Skibinski, who was driving a 2018 Ford Explorer patrol car on Bridge Street’s left lane, spotted a “dark object” near the Interstate 690 ramps, according to the police. Skibinski is the identified police officer in this incident.

According to the police, the officer was unable to steer clear of the object or switch lanes. Upon stopping, Skibinski discovered that the object was, in fact, a deceased man.

According to the police, Skibinski, who has been a member of the department since 2014, was on his way to attend to another call that was not related to the incident. The department stated that he did not have his lights and sirens on, which was the right decision considering the nature of the call.

According to GPS data retrieved from the police car, it was moving at approximately 28 mph in the vicinity of the accident. It is worth noting that the speed limit for that area is set at 40 mph.

The DeWitt police department has informed the state Attorney General’s Office about the recent collision that resulted in a fatality. It is noteworthy that since April 2021, the AG’s office has been mandated to take over investigations of all fatal incidents involving police officers.

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