USPS Driver Charged After Chet Mazur Dies in Hell's Kitchen Hit-and-Run
Police said USPS employee James Simmons was driving a postal box truck on Ninth Avenue early Saturday when he hit Chester "Chet" Mazur, 66, and left the scene; Mazur, a fixture in New York's music community, died at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell.
Reported by press, not yet linked to NYC police crash records. This may change when new official records become available or when matching details are reviewed.
Location under review
What We Know
Police said James Simmons, a 61-year-old USPS employee from Queens, was driving a postal box truck on Ninth Avenue near West 55th Street at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday when he hit Chester "Chet" Mazur, 66, and did not remain at the scene. Medics took Mazur to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where he died. Investigators charged Simmons with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. News accounts identified Mazur as a longtime New York music-scene performer who had played at Otto's Shrunken Head late Friday and was close to his Hell's Kitchen apartment when he was hit. Reviewed reports differ on one detail: several described him as crossing midblock, while one CBS report said he was in the crosswalk.
Police say the driver continued downtown
Police said James Simmons, 61, was driving downtown on Ninth Avenue in a USPS box truck at about 5:30 a.m. Saturday when he hit Chester "Chet" Mazur, 66, near West 55th Street. Police said Simmons did not stop and continued downtown; medics took Mazur to NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell, where he died.
A Hell's Kitchen block close to home
Reports placed the crash on Ninth Avenue between West 54th and West 55th streets, or near West 55th Street, in Hell's Kitchen. The Daily News and CBS reported Mazur was on or near the block where he lived, just steps or half a block from home.
Reports differed on one crossing detail
Several reviewed reports said police described Mazur as crossing Ninth Avenue midblock. One CBS report, also citing police, said he was in the crosswalk.
Mazur was coming from a final show
The Daily News identified Mazur as a vocalist for The Rasslers and said he had performed at Otto's Shrunken Head in the East Village late Friday. Friend Michael Jung told CBS New York, "Everybody knows Chet and everybody loves Chet."
The Daily News reported Mazur grew up in Buffalo, moved to New York City in 1979 to attend Columbia University, and is survived by two brothers and numerous nieces and nephews.
A charge and an investigation followed
Police arrested Simmons and charged him with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death. The Daily News reported a postal inspector tracked the white 2019 Peterbilt box truck and that Simmons was released without bail after arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.
USPS said in a statement that it was "cooperating fully with law enforcement on the investigation."