CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. — The Erie County District Attorney's Office shared that a 40-year-old Amherst man has pleaded guilty to a fatal pedestrian accident that happened during a winter storm in Cheektowaga.
Matthew J. Althoff pleaded guilty before an Erie County Court judge to one count of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting resulting in death, which was the highest sustainable charge.
The incident happened on the night of January 15 when Althoff was driving a Ford Explorer SUV westbound down Losson Road in the Town of Cheektowaga. A 41-year-old man had been clearing snow from his vehicle around 7 p.m. when Althoff hit him and continued down the road.
An off-duty NYS Trooper had found the man who was hit and injured in the road. The trooper called an ambulance to take him to ECMC where he had been reported to have died.
Althoff returns for court in August where he will face a maximum sentence of 7-years in prison. Until then he remains released on a previously posted bail set at $10,000 cash, insurance company bond or partially secured surety bond.