UPDATE: Student Killed in Hit-and-Run Accident; Setauket Man Arrested

Suffolk police have arrested a Setauket man who allegedly killed a Stony Brook University student in a hit-and-run accident while driving under the influence of drugs on Thursday night in Stony Brook.

According to police, Michael J. Tarduno, Jr. was traveling west on Route 347 at the intersection of Pond Path when he allegedly struck Seong Hoon Baek, 21, of Flushing, at approximately 9:45 p.m.

Baek was riding his bicycle on the shoulder of Route 347 at the time of the accident. He was pronounced dead at 11:07 p.m. at Stony Brook University Medical Center.

Police said witnesses at the scene of the accident were able to provide Tarduno's license plate number, and officers searched the surrounding area for the vehicle. They arrested him at 12:40 a.m. Friday at a home on Thompson Hay Path in Setauket.

Tarduno was charged with leaving the scene, driving while ability impaired, and seventh degree criminal possession of a controlled substance. He was held overnight and will be arraigned Friday in First District Court in Central Islip.

Baek, known among friends as David, was a senior who was double majoring in economics and biochemistry. He was a good student who was active in the Korean Christian Fellowship on campus, according to a university official.

"This is a very sad day for the university," said Jerrold Stein, associate vice president and dean of students.

In a letter to the campus community, university president Samuel L. Stanley Jr. said Baek was "well known and highly regarded by faculty, classmates, and friends."

"For me personally, it is deeply troubling to lose a student, especially in
such a senseless manner," Stanley said. "I have made it my mission to do everything I can with all available resources on and off campus to try to prevent
this type of loss in the future."

Stein said counselors have been working with students since Friday morning, and the university will likely consult with Baek's family to plan a memorial ceremony.