Police have arrested the driver they say is responsible for the hit-and-run death of a man in Waterbury last month.
Richard DiNicola, 47, of Jones Drive in Waterbury was arrested Wednesday, three days after police found the car they believe he was driving the night of the collision. He was charged with evading responsibility in an accident resulting in death; tampering with physical evidence; illegal operation of a motor vehicle while under suspension; operation of a motor vehicle without insurance and failure to renew registration, police said.
DiNicola was in custody on $100,000 bail after his arrest and was scheduled to be arraigned in Superior Court in Waterbury.
On Sunday, detectives learned that DiNicola was the person who had been behind the wheel of the car that struck James Gatlin, 67, police said. The white, 1994 Pontiac Sunbird was in a driveway behind a three-family house on East Main Street. They seized the vehicle and examined it for evidence.
According to police, the deadly hit-and-run happened about 8:15 p.m. Oct. 22 in the area of 760 Wolcott St. A car struck Gatlin as he was trying to push a shopping cart across the street near Pep Boys Auto Parts.
Surveillance cameras captured images of the white car striking Gatlin and continuing north on Wolcott Street with Gatlin still on the hood. When the car turned right onto Pritchard Avenue, Gatlin rolled off the hood and fell onto the street, police said.
Police released pictures of the white car and asked for the public’s help in finding the vehicle and its driver.
Christine Dempsey can be reached at cdempsey@courant.com.
