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70-year-old man arrested in hit-and-run death of Nicki Minaj's father

Nicki Minaj
Posted at 10:54 AM, Feb 17, 2021
and last updated 2021-02-17 12:54:08-05

MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A 70-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in the hit-and-run death of rapper Nicki Minaj's father.

Police say Charles Polevich stopped briefly to ask the injured man if he was OK but didn't call for help.

Polevich faces charges of leaving the scene of an incident and tampering with physical evidence in connection with the death last week of 64-year-old Robert Maraj on New York's Long Island.

According to The Associated Press, Maraj was walking a road in Mineola when he was struck by a vehicle at 6:15 p.m. Friday.

The AP reported that Polevich got out of his car after hitting Maraj to see if he was OK before getting back into his vehicle and leaving the scene.

Maraj was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead on Saturday, The AP reported.

According to police, Polevich turned himself in on Wednesday after detectives used a surveillance video to track down the vehicle involved in the crash to Polevich's residence, The AP reported.

Polevich splits time between Long Island and Guam.

He is free on bail following an arraignment in Nassau County court.

A message seeking comment was left with Polevich's lawyer.