A suspect has been arrested in the that took the life of a Garden City restaurant manager early Sunday morning in Williston Park.
Raymond F. Kalenka, 45, of Williston Park, was arrested Tuesday in connection with the accident, police said. He is charged with leaving the scene of an accident with death. Kalenka will be arraigned on Wednesday at First District Court in Hempstead.
Officers arrived at Kalenka’s home shortly after midnight Wednesday morning and made the arrest after reportedly receiving a tip from Crime Stoppers.
According to Nassau County police, , 41, of Albertson, was found lying in the street at about 4:10 a.m. at the intersection of Syracuse Street and Broad Street in Williston Park after being struck by an unknown vehicle traveling northbound on Broad Street.
LaLima, the long-time manager in Garden City, was pronounced deceased by a Nassau County Ambulance Advanced Medical Technician at 4:20 a.m., police said.
Since his passing, the community has shown a for Grimaldi’s and LaLima’s family, praising him as not just an amazing worker with a “welcoming smile,” but a “great friend.”
The tragedy is the second to hit Grimaldi’s in less than a year. The establishment’s owner , a best friend of LaLima’s, died suddenly in November 2011. He was 39.
Visiting for Dean LaLima is Wednesday 7-9 p.m. and Thursday 2-5 and 7-9 p.m.,, 156 Willis Ave., Mineola. Funeral Mass to be held Friday at 10 a.m. at St. Aidan's Church. Entombment to follow at Holy Rood Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to North Shore Animal League are appreciated.
