Hudson Valley Man Fatally Hit Man Unloading Groceries, Police Say

A man is accused of fleeing the scene after fatally hitting another local man who was unloading groceries outside his home.

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Deputies from the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office were called to 2642 State Route 52 in Liberty at about 9:45 p.m. on Saturday for a report of a pedestrian struck. The location is between Frankie Lane and Hanoffee Drive.

At the scene deputies found 60-year-old Dennis Toscano deceased on the shoulder of the highway, according to the Sullivan County Sheriff's Office. A GoFundMe has been set up to help Toscano's surviving family.

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The investigation revealed that the victim was unloading groceries from his car when a vehicle, traveling westbound towards White Sulphur Springs, struck him and fled the scene.

Detectives found pieces from a Subaru Legacy at the scene which led them to 34-year-old Joseph Maxwell, Jr. of Liberty, police say. Maxwell was taken into custody Sunday evening at his residence on Eagle Drive.

The District Attorney’s Office prepared a search warrant which Sheriff’s Detectives executed at the suspect’s residence early Monday morning. A 2012 Subaru Legacy with a smashed windshield and front end damage was recovered from the garage, police say.

Maxwell was charged with leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident, a felony. He was sent to the Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $50,000 bail.

Police add the investigation is continuing and that additional charges are being considered.

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