By Colin Mixson
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — An ambulance driver was arrested Wednesday for a fatal crash that killed a Brooklyn mother of two, cops said.
Michael Gontar, 42, turned himself in at the 61st Precinct station house and was charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and failure to exercise due care for the April 2 crash that killed Cherry Cayetano Sobel, according to law enforcement.
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If convicted of the top charge, a misdemeanor, Gontar faces the penalty of a $250 fine, 30 days in jail, or both.
Gontar was behind the wheel of a private ambulance when he struck Sobel, 44, as she crossed Ocean Ave. at Avenue O in Midwood around 6:38 a.m, cops said.
Medics rushed Sobel, who had suffered severe trauma, to Maimonides Medical Center, where she died.
The ambulance continued driving after hitting the victim.
Gontar was driving an ambulance operated by Maimonides Medical Center, which suspended the driver and another emergency responder following the crash.
A spokesman for Maimonides said Gontar remains suspended without pay pending an investigation.
The suspect’s LinkedIn states that he’s worked as an EMT since 2005.
Sobel lived in Midwood and worked as a registered nurse in addition to raising two kids, according to a friend.
“She was a wonderful lady,” said a friend of Sobel’s, who asked to remain anonymous out of respect for the victim’s family. “She was a registered nurse with two beautiful kids. She helped rehabilitate people who had serious injuries.”
Sobel’s friend said he last saw the victim when he went jogging with her the day before the fatal collision.
“She was talking about traveling abroad if the war (in Iran ) continues,” he said. “She wanted to help with the injured refugees.”
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