Driver Surrenders In Maryland After L.I. Student Is Struck, Killed
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (CBSNewYork) -- A driver has surrendered to police, after a 22-year-old student from Long Island was killed in a hit-and-run near the University of Maryland.
Cory Hubbard, 22, of Westhampton Beach, was trying to cross Baltimore Avenue at Knox Road in College Park, Md., when he was struck by a car, police said.
As CBS 2's Lou Young reported, the car – which was captured on surveillance video – hit Hubbard with such force that he flew through the air and hit a light pole 10 feet up.
The driver sped away and left him to die.
Prince George's County, Md., police were called to the scene around 1:35 a.m. Friday, and found Hubbard suffering from critical injuries.
Hubbard was later pronounced dead at an area hospital, police said.
The university released a statement following the deadly hit-and-run, CBS Baltimore reported.
"It is with deep sadness that we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of the University of Maryland student killed this morning in a tragic, senseless accident," said Wallace D. Loh, President of the University of Maryland. "In this time of loss, I ask that the entire Maryland family keep them in our thoughts and prayers."
Hubbard graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 2010 as an A-student and a standout player in football, lacrosse and wrestling before he went off to Maryland for college. He was to graduate there in June.
"This hurt our entire community," said family friend Kathleen Masterson, who works as the athletic director at the high school.
Masterson said Hubbard's personality shined.
"Cory was the class clown. Cory was a scholar-athlete. Cory, when he walked into a room, could light up a room by his smile," she said.
Suffolk County Police notified the young man's mother of his death Friday morning. Holly Hubbard is a physical education teacher at the middle school in Westhampton, while Hubbard's father is a retired teacher from nearby Hampton Bays.
Everyone knows the family.
"His parents are salt-of-the-earth," Masterson said. "They are two of the best people that I know."
Friends said Hubbard had been drinking at a bar across from the campus.
"He just walked to the bar; he was walking to his car," a friend said.
Police said Hubbard was not in the crosswalk at the time, and although other students were nearby, they may not have seen exactly what happened.
"That area, particularly at 1:30 in the morning, there's always people around," said Prince George's County police Lt. Bill Alexander. "But my feeling is they don't have a lot of people who directly witnessed this accident."
Police earlier put out a cash reward for information leading to the driver and the dark-colored sedan he was driving.
The car was later recovered, and a driver subsequently surrendered Friday evening. The driver has not been charged, police said.
Friends gathered at the Hubbard home to offer comfort Friday night as news came that the hit-and-run driver had surrendered.
One friend said it did not matter, because the pain will last a lifetime.
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