A 54-year-old fugitive, Ganesh Shenoy, who fled to India after a tragic 2005 car crash in Long Island that killed a father, is now back in the U.S. to face charges. Prosecutors confirmed that Shenoy has been handed over to authorities and is set to face justice.
Shenoy was charged with manslaughter following a fatal incident in Hicksville that took the life of 44-year-old Philip Mastropolo. He reportedly escaped shortly after the crash, which occurred on April 11, 2005. The Nassau County District Attorney’s office indicated that he was ordered to bail last Friday.
“For decades, Philip’s family has endured the pain of his loss and the knowledge that someone was responsible,” stated Nassau District Attorney Anne Donnelly. “But that’s changed now.”
Mastropolo was working as a maintenance engineer when he was struck by Shenoy’s vehicle, which allegedly ran a red light on the Levittown Parkway at speeds over double the limit. The collision was so severe that it propelled Mastropolo’s car 65 feet forward before crashing into a stopped box truck, according to prosecutors.
After the crash, Shenoy, who did not seek medical treatment, had his Indian passport and driver’s license revoked, yet he avoided facing the consequences of his actions for years.
On April 25, 2005, he boarded a flight from JFK and evaded law enforcement for more than two decades, eventually landing at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.
A Nassau County Grand Jury indicted him on August 8, 2005, but it took until this week for U.S. officials to track him down and return him to Long Island.
The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Embassy in India facilitated his extradition, with Shenoy slated to return to court on October 14th.
“After eluding law enforcement for so long, we have brought the defendant back to the United States to answer for a tragic loss that occurred over 20 years ago,” Donnelly added.
