A 22-year-old New York woman refused to get into a car driven by her drunk coworker after a night out and decided to walk instead. She was struck and killed by the coworker in a hit-and-run later that night, authorities said.
Madison Faltisco went out with coworker Joshua Schiano, 23, Thursday night and the two went to a few bars in the Syracuse area, according to Thomas Newton, public information officer for the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office.
Interviews with people who knew Faltisco and the investigation showed that after a few hours, Faltisco chose not to get into Schiano’s car with him because she knew he was intoxicated, Newton told USA TODAY. She decided to make what would have been a long walk home, about 3 or 4 miles, Newton said.
She didn’t get very far. Less than a quarter-mile down the road, while Faltisco was walking along the shoulder, Schiano hit her with his Hyundai Elantra, according to a criminal complaint provided by the Onondaga County District Attorney’s Office.
“That’s when Joshua in his vehicle went onto the shoulder of the road struck her, and he continued off,” Newton said.
Shortly after, Schiano crashed into a pole about a mile away and his car burst into flames, Newton said. He was taken to a hospital.
It wasn’t until more than six hours later that Faltisco’s body was found on the side of the road in the early morning.
Schiano was arrested and charged with second-degree manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and fleeing the scene. Newton said Schiano did not inform law enforcement officials he had hit Faltisco with his car during the six hours before she was found. Newton said the investigation has shown Schiano was aware he had hit someone.
“After the motor vehicle accident, and with having cause to know that personal injury had been caused to another person, the defendant continued southbound …,” the criminal complaint says. The complaint says Schiano was intoxicated but doesn’t specify his blood alcohol level.
An attorney for Schiano did not immediately respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
Faltisco was from Syracuse and graduated high school in 2018, according to her obituary.
“Her bright light was extinguished much too soon,” Faltisco’s obituary said.
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