A New York man pleaded not guilty Tuesday to four charges connected to a motorcycle hit-and-run that left a University at Albany student in a coma in April.
Austin Brayette, 25, of Watervliet, is accused of hitting 19-year-old Alexa Klopf while she was out with friends on the evening of April 26 with what police previously called an “illegal dirt bike.”
Braiette is currently charged with one count of second-degree assault, one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting it and two counts of tampering with physical evidence.
The indictment states: News 10 ABC/FOX 23 Albany Briett allegedly tried to hide evidence, including a blue dirt bike and a red Porsche.
19-year-old New York college student left in coma after illegal dirt bike hit-and-run
Austin Blayette is charged in connection with the hit-and-run motorcycle accident that left 19-year-old Alexa Klopf in a coma. (Albany County District Attorney/Handout to families)
“It’s a parent’s nightmare and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone,” Klopf’s father, Jim Klopf, previously told Fox News Digital.
Klopf underwent two brain surgeries to relieve bleeding and swelling, his father said. He also broke two bones in his lower right leg, fractured his pelvis, broke five ribs and bruised a lung, he told Fox News Digital.
Bride shot at DC nightclub days before wedding vows never to return to city
Jim Klopf described his daughter Alexa as loving, fun, responsible and hardworking. He said she was her sister’s “best friend” and that her brother “looked up to her.” (Handouts for families)
“When I look at this beautiful little girl with half her head shaved, 50 staples in her skull from two incisions made for surgery, the swelling, the scarring, the staples in her legs, the feeding tube, the oxygen in her nose – it’s a horrific sight. Every time I go up to her bed to talk to her, I get so emotional and I have to stay positive. As a parent, it’s absolute torture having to go through this.”
Albany, NY police officer shot during ambush during traffic stop, suspect dies: police
Albany police previously said the hit-and-run suspect wasDriving an illegal dirt bike According to a press release, the driver was traveling at a high rate of speed, weaving through a crowd of people in the 400 block of Hudson Street, and struck Klopf.
Jim Klopf expressed his gratitude to the medical staff in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), the Ronald McDonald House for providing a place for the family to stay while they visited Alexa in the hospital, and the local police. (Handouts for families)
“The suspect was driving at a high rate of speed when he struck the victim, throwing him into the air and landing in the roadway several feet away from the point of impact,” police said.
Click here to get the FOX News app
Alexa was out with friends that Saturday night when she was hit by a dirt bike on a one-way street.
Blayette is being held in the Albany County Jail on $100,000 cash bail, $100,000 surety bond or $200,000 partial bond, according to the district attorney’s office. His attorney could not immediately be reached for comment.
