By Rebecca Henely
A 61-year-old Manhattan man was arrested Saturday after he allegedly struck a 65-year-old South Ozone Park cricket umpire in East Elmhurst last Thursday, then drove off leaving the man to die, police said.
Luis Narvaez, of West 109th Street, has been charged with leaving an accident resulting in death and tampering with evidence, police said.
Jerry Kishun Jr., 34, the son and namesake of the victim, said that while he still finds himself waiting for his father to come home at night, the arrest has brought a degree of closure.
“It was a lot easier when it came time for me to close my dad’s coffin,” Kishun Jr. said.
Kishun Jr., who lived with his father on 134th Place near 135th Avenue, said his father was driving to work at a restaurant depot early Thursday morning when he got into the accident that led to his death.
Kishun, who was driving a white Mitsubishi Galant, had gotten into an accident early Thursday morning with another car of unknown make and model near the 82nd Street exit off the Grand Central Parkway, police said. When Kishun got out of his car, he was allegedly struck by Narvaez, who was driving a black Lincoln, police said.
After Kishun was struck, both Narvaez and the driver of the unknown vehicle allegedly drove away, police said. The NYPD was alerted to the situation at 4:54 a.m. and found Kishun unconscious and unresponsive. EMS brought Kishun to Elmhurst General Hospital, where he was pronounced DOA, police said.
Narvaez was arrested Saturday, police said.
Kishun Jr. said he had heard the man was already out on a $10,000 cash bail.
He said his father, a Guyanese immigrant, was well-respected in the community. He had been an insurance salesman in the West Indies before moving to America, where he worked at minimum wage jobs. Nevertheless, he loved to work and provided both for his wife and two younger children in New York, as well as his two older daughters in Florida.
“He did what he can for anyone, for everyone, regardless if he was a stranger or someone he’s known all his life,” Kishun Jr. said.
Kishun was also a well-known umpire of cricket matches in New York. His death was remarked upon by Rudy Persaud, president of the East American Cricket Association.
The funeral was held Monday at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in South Ozone Park as Kishun had a connection and deep love for his church and pastor, and the funeral parlors nearby could not accommodate the crowd.
“He loved his church. He loved his pastor,” Kishun Jr. said. “He would do anything for the church itself.”
Kishun Jr. said about 53 cars took part in his father’s funeral procession.
“He was a well-loved individual,” Kishun Jr. said.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
