According to the Suffolk County police, 23-year-old Lawrence Pagano accidentally ran over 21-year-old Krystal Berkowitz at around 4 a.m. on Saturday morning, shortly after she refused to let him drive her home because she thought he was drunk. WABC reports that Berkowitz had gotten out of Pagano’s 2006 Jeep Liberty and was walking down Setauket, Long Island’s Nesconset Highway when Pagano pulled up to her in an attempt to convince her to get back in the car. He ended up hitting her with the vehicle instead. Emergency responders pronounced Berkowitz dead at the scene, reportedly of a head injury. “I can’t even quantify how hard it must have hit him, because he loves the girl,” said a friend of the pair, who had once been a couple and remained friendly. So far, Pagano has been charged with driving while intoxicated.
