New York man facing charges after hit-and-run accident

TURNERS FALLS — Rafael Matthews, 38, of Harlem, N.Y. was arrested and charged after fleeing the scene of a hit-and-run accident Thursday night, where police say he hit a pedestrian.

Police responded to the intersection of L and Spring streets at around 9:21 p.m., according to reports by Montague Police Officer Justin Moody and Sergeant James Deery. 

At the scene, witnesses said they saw a dark colored sedan speed around the corner from L Street and hit Diane Galecki, 29, who was walking her dog across the street at the crosswalk, Moody’s report states.

According to Moody’s report, witnesses saw Galecki go up onto the hood of the car and travel about 25 feet before the vehicle stopped and went around her. Galecki and a witness both claimed the car belonged to Lindsay Shepherd of Turners Falls, but that Shepherd wasn’t the one driving.

Galecki refused medical transport, though Moody wrote in his report that Turners Falls firefighters helped her walk home.

Police went to Shepherd’s residence and found a 2007 black Honda Accord. A windshield wiper was missing, which was consistent with the broken wiper found at the scene, according to Deery’s report.

Upon confronting Shepherd, she said her boyfriend had been driving the car but was not home. After police explained the crime, she admitted Matthews was in the bedroom, according to Deery’s report.

Matthews, who originally provided police with multiple pseudonyms, admitted to the hit-and-run and said he had “left the scene of the accident because he was scared and didn’t know what to do,” Deery’s report states.

Police arrested Matthews and transported him to the Montague Police Station, where they discovered his real name. Deery’s report states Matthews lied about his identity due to two warrants for his arrest.

Matthews was arraigned in Greenfield District Court Friday and charged with leaving the scene of a personal injury and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. A judge set his bail at $10,000 cash or a $100,000 bond. He will return to court for a pretrial conference on July 10.