Horror night on NSW roads: Man charged after alleged hit-and-run in Penrith

A man has been charged after police allege he hit and killed a pedestrian in Penrith, before fleeing the scene in his ute.

Police are appealing for assistance from anyone with information about an incident in which a ute struck a woman on Macquarie Ave, Penrith about 5.30pm Thursday. Picture: NSW Police

A man has been charged more than 24 hours after he allegedly hit-and-killed a pedestrian in Penrith and fled the scene.

Twenty-year-old Lasaro Tavai was arrested on Friday night, after police released footage of the moments leading up the collision that killed a 40-year-old woman on Thursday.

The footage shows a ute turning onto Macquarie Ave just before 5.30pm on Thursday and heading towards the woman, who is on the roadway.

The ute pauses momentarily at the location before driving off again.
Hours after the vision was released swooped on Tavai at his home on Taloma Street, Penrith.

He was taken to St Marys Police Station where he was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death-drive manner dangerous, negligent driving (occasioning death), fail to stop and assist after impact cause death, drive motor vehicle during disqualification period, and use unregistered registrable Class A motor vehicle on road.

He will face court on Saturday.

Meanwhile a 16-year-old boy is dead, and his brother and sister are fighting for life after a horror night on the NSW’s roads on Thursday, which saw three people die in separate incidents within the space of a few hours.

Fadi Tlais, 16, was killed just after 8pm Thursday night, when the car his teenage sister Salam Hamdan was driving, collided with a truck at the intersection of Hume Highway and Worth St in Greenacre.

Salam, 19, was rushed to hospital in a critical condition, as well as her younger brother 15-year-old Amar, who was sitting in the back seat.

The siblings’ cousin Youseff Wehebe, 15, was also taken to hospital in a stable condition.

16 year old Fadi Tlais was killed in a Greenacre crash.

A teenager died in a two-vehicle crash in Greenacre. Picture: TNV

The rescue mission to pull the family from the car took some time, with emergency services forced to cut the mangled car apart to pull them out.

Police believe the teens may not have been wearing seatbelts at the time of the collision.

A teenager has died after a two-vehicle crash in Greenacre, Sydney’s south west. Picture: TNV

A witness who lives nearby the scene said the sound of the impact was “massive”.

“I heard it from my bedroom, it was so loud, massive,” they said.

The driver of the truck involved in the collision was taken to hospital for mandatory testing, however, has not been charged.

Earlier in the day, about 5.30pm, a woman thought to be of an Asian background, died in the hit-and-run crash in Penrith.

The ute allegedly involved in the hit-and-run. Picture: NSW Police

Another image of the ute. Picture: NSW Police

At 10pm, emergency services responded to reports of a ute crashing into a tree on Back Henty Rd, Henty, between Wagga Wagga and Albury.

The driver, the only occupant of the vehicle, died at the scene, with police from the Murray River Police District launching an investigation and a crime scene being established.

The incidents occurred just hours before a major traffic operation began for the King’s Birthday long weekend – with double demerits in force until 11.59pm on Monday.

Originally published as Horror night on NSW roads: Man charged after alleged hit-and-run in Penrith