A Southampton man who pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a crash that killed a 67-year-old pedestrian in Hampton Bays is scheduled to be sentenced Monday, Nov. 16, more than two years after the fatal collision.
Benjamin Sheen-Waltzer, 34, admitted leaving the scene of the March 6, 2024, crash that killed Angel Asitimbay of Hampton Bays. His guilty plea on Sept. 16, 2026, resolved a felony charge stemming from the incident, according to New York State court records.
Previous coverage: Southampton Man Pleads Guilty to Leaving Scene of Fatal Hampton Bays Hit-and-Run
Fatal Crash on Springville Road
According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, Asitimbay was walking along Springville Road in Hampton Bays at approximately 5 p.m. on March 6, 2024, pushing a shopping cart filled with glass bottles and cans.
Prosecutors said Sheen-Waltzer struck Asitimbay from behind with a 2024 GMC pickup truck just south of Neptune Avenue. The impact threw Asitimbay onto the shoulder of the roadway and scattered bottles and cans across the pavement.
Asitimbay was transported to Peconic Bay Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving. Sheen-Waltzer drove away without stopping to report the crash or provide assistance, prosecutors said.
Broken GMC Emblem Helped Investigators Identify Driver
Investigators recovered a broken letter “M” from a GMC emblem among the debris at the crash scene. Surveillance footage from Hampton Watercraft & Marine on Springville Road showed a GMC pickup truck with front-end damage and the same letter missing from its emblem.
Southampton Town Police detectives traced the vehicle to Sheen-Waltzer’s residence in Southampton, where they located the pickup truck with its entire front emblem missing. Investigators later recovered the “G” and “C” portions of the emblem inside another vehicle registered to Sheen-Waltzer at his workplace, according to prosecutors.
Investigators also obtained GPS information from the pickup truck through a search warrant. Prosecutors said the data was consistent with Sheen-Waltzer’s route before and after the collision.
Indictment and Guilty Plea
Following the investigation, Sheen-Waltzer was indicted in November 2024 on charges of leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death and tampering with physical evidence.
At his Nov. 15, 2024, arraignment, bail was set at $25,000 cash, $50,000 insured bond or $250,000 partially secured surety bond. Court records indicate that bail was posted and his driver’s license was suspended pending prosecution.
Sheen-Waltzer initially pleaded not guilty to both charges. On Sept. 16, 2026, he withdrew his previous plea and pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an incident resulting in death, a Class D felony.
The evidence-tampering charge is listed as covered by the guilty plea rather than as a separate conviction.
Sentencing Scheduled for Nov. 16
Sheen-Waltzer is scheduled to appear before Judge Anthony S. Senft Jr. in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead at 9 a.m. Monday, Nov. 16, for sentencing.
The felony conviction carries a potential prison sentence of up to seven years. The publicly available court records do not specify an agreed-upon sentence or indicate what punishment the judge is expected to impose.
The case was investigated by Southampton Town Police and prosecuted by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Vehicular Crime Bureau.
Photo: Benjamin Sheen-Waltzer, 34, of Southampton, pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of a 2024 Hampton Bays crash that killed Angel Asitimbay, 67.
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