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Driver Arrested After Fatal Hit-and-Run, Police Say

 Jonathan Mejia was charged with leaving the scene after he fatally struck Edward Jenkins, police said.
Jonathan Mejia was charged with leaving the scene after he fatally struck Edward Jenkins, police said.
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THE BRONX — A driver who had been drinking before getting behind the wheel was arrested Sunday morning after he fatally struck a pedestrian in Morris Heights and fled the scene, police said.

Jonathan Mejia, 25, was driving his Honday Odyssey minivan north on University Avenue about 3:30 a.m. when he hit 43-year-old Edward Jenkins as he was crossing mid-block between West 175th and West 176th streets, the NYPD said.

Jenkins, who lived about four blocks from the scene, suffered severe head trauma and was pronounced dead at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital, police said.

The motorist drove away from the scene, only to be aprehended about three blocks away at Grand and West Tremont avenues, an NYPD spokesman said.

Mejia, a Washington Heights resident, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and driving while ability impaired, police said.

An NYPD spokesman could not say how high his blood alcohol level was, but DWAI infractions are given when blood alcohol levels are between .05 and .07 or there is other evidence of impairment.

He was previously arrested in January 2013 for assault and disorderly conduct and also in October 2012, but that arrest is sealed, a police spokesman said.

Sunday's fatal crash came amid a citywide effort to crackdown on traffic violations and dramatically reduce traffic fatalities.

More than 10,000 tickets have been issued for things like speeding and using a phone wile driving during three recent police enforcement initiatives, the NYPD said.

Police launched another effort Monday in 21 precincts that would continue through June 1 and specifically target dangerous driving behaviors and parking violations, the NYPD said.