US Postal Service driver arrested for allegedly killing Manhattan pedestrian in hit-run

Molly Crane-Newman and Roni Jacobson, New York Daily News on Aug 10, 2026

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NEW YORK — A mail carrier has been arrested for fatally striking a pedestrian in Hell’s Kitchen with his U.S. Postal Service box truck and then driving off without stopping, police said Sunday.

James Simmons was arrested Saturday afternoon for leaving the scene of a fatal accident that killed a beloved performer from the downtown Manhattan music scene earlier that day, cops said. The 66-year-old victim, Chester “Chet” Mazur, was on his way home from a gig.

After Simmons, 61, allegedly fled the scene, a postal inspector was able to track the location of the white 2019 Peterbilt box truck, which enabled authorities to link the vehicle to the hit-and-run.

Cops found a long gray hair, matching the victim’s distinctive locks, stuck to the truck about 5 1/2 feet above the ground, according to the criminal complaint. Mazur was 5-foot-6, authorities say.

Simmons was driving a downtown on Ninth Avenue when he slammed into 66-year-old, who was crossing mid-block near West 55th Street, about 5:30 a.m. Saturday, police said.

Medics rushed Mazur to New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell but he could not be saved.

Simmons did not stop after hitting Mazur and continued driving downtown on Ninth Ave., cops said.

Mazur was on the block where he lived when he was struck, according to cops.

“He was right in the middle of the street,” Dominic Accetta, the owner of Sacco Pizza on Ninth Ave., told the Daily News. “All I saw was a guy lying on the floor and he was not moving. I saw them put him in the ambulance. They were pumping (his chest).”

Simmons lives in St. Albans, Queens, according to cops. He was released without bail after his arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court Sunday.

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