BOSTON — A man charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash in Boston over the weekend that left an elderly man and his dog dead is expected to face a judge on Monday.
William Haney, 42, of Boston, is slated to be arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on charges of murder and animal cruelty in the death of 79-year-old John Axelrod, also of Boston.
The crash occurred on the Commonwealth Avenue Mall in the city’s Back Bay section, a median where vehicles are prohibited, just after 8 a.m. Saturday, according to investigators.
Witness Eric Vandusen was present during the incident and attempted to intervene.
“I tried to stop him up there and said, ‘Stop, you hit someone.’ He kept going,” Vandusen told Boston 25.
Vandusen added that neighborhood residents frequently walk their dogs in the area of the crash.
“It’s awful that it’s happened. I mean, you see people out, everyone’s walking their dogs at eight o’clock on a Saturday morning, and a man comes through in a car in the middle of a place he’s not supposed to be and strikes a man and kills him? It’s shaken me to the bone,” Vandusen said.
Axelrod was taken to a local hospital, where he died from his injuries. His dog also didn’t survive the collision.
Police were able to track down Haney by obtaining his car’s registration information. He was located in Brookline and subsequently arrested in connection with the incident.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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