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WILKES-BARRE — A Hanover Township man has pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from a fatal hit- and-run last year in which he struck a pedestrian.
Emiliano Hernandez, 47, appeared in court before Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Vough on Monday.
Hernandez was accused of striking Peter Mangino, 56, also of Hanover Township, on April 21, 2018, outside PT’s Late Night Bar on Oxford and Luzerne Streets in the township.
Hernandez drove away, leaving Mangino at the scene. Mangino remained on life support at Wilkes-Barre General Hospital until his death on May 2 last year.
He later told police he saw Mangino on the sidewalk, but didn’t expect him to walk out in front of him. Hernandez said he drove away after panicking.
He entered a guilty plea on a felony count of accidents involving death or personal injury. Other charges, including a charge of driving without a license, were withdrawn by prosecutors.
Vough scheduled Hernandez’s sentencing for July 9. Records show there will be a sentencing enhancement since Mangino died as a result of his injuries.
Vough revoked Hernandez’s bail, remanding him to the Luzerne County Correctional Facility, where he will remain until his sentencing.