2 days ago
Niagara Falls man charged in fatal North End hit-and-run
A Niagara Falls man has been indicted by a Niagara County grand jury in connection with last year's fatal crash in the city's North End.
The grand jury handed up an indictment that charged Antoine Bones, 39, of the Falls, with single counts of second-degree manslaughter and leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle incident without reporting.
Bones appeared in Niagara County Court Thursday afternoon where the indictment was unsealed before County Court Judge John Ottaviano.
The judge set bail at $250,000 cash or $500,000 bond. As of Thursday night, Bones was being held at the Niagara County jail.
Bones is accused of 'recklessly causing the death' of Yolanda Carr, 50, also of the Falls on Aug. 5 by 'striking and running her over with the vehicle he was driving, and then fleeing the scene.' Carr died as a result of the injuries she sustained.
She was riding on her electric bicycle at about 1:15 a.m. through the intersection of 22nd Street and Niagara Avenue when she was struck.
Falls Police Crash Management Unit (CMU) investigators spent weeks searching for witnesses who may have seen the crash or video from outdoor residential or business security cameras that may have captured the incident.
On Aug. 15, investigators discovered a Chevy Tahoe SUV behind a home in the 1100 block of Centre Avenue. That vehicle was later linked to Bones.
Just about a month later, in September, CMU investigators executed a series of search warrants at homes in the 1100 block of Centre Avenue and the 1200 block of Beech Avenue.
Falls Police patrol officers on the scene of the Aug. 15 crash said they found Carr lying in the roadway next to the electric bike that she had been riding. A preliminary investigation indicated that Carr had been heading south on 22nd Street and was struck by a vehicle while crossing the intersection at Niagara Avenue.
Investigators said the vehicle that hit her had been traveling west on Niagara Avenue and left the scene before police arrived.
Niagara Falls firefighters and EMTs with AMR ambulance responded to the scene and transported Carr to the Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, where she was later pronounced dead.
Family members said Carr left behind two daughters, a son, 'many grandchildren,' her mother and a brother.
