Heather Foster, 50, of West Sayville Charged in Hit-and-Run That Seriously Injured Sayville Jogger

Brook Street near Cherry Avenue, Sayville, Town of Islip, Suffolk County

Developing story — Long Island Traffic coverage of the Sayville jogger hit-and-run:

• West Sayville woman arrested after hit-and-run leaves jogger seriously hurt — first coverage
• Sayville jogger struck, seriously injured in early-morning hit-and-run — police seek a dark-colored SUV
• Woman arrested for hit-and-run of Sayville jogger — Heather Foster charged
• West Sayville Woman Arrested in Hit-and-Run That Seriously Injured Sayville Jogger (this report — search warrant and Mazda CX-5 seized)

Key Facts

What Happened

A West Sayville woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a hit-and-run crash that left a 60-year-old Sayville jogger with serious injuries after she was struck by a fleeing SUV in the early morning hours of Saturday, May 16, 2026, according to Suffolk County Police.

The victim, Michele Walters, 60, of Sayville, was jogging west of Cherry Avenue on Brook Street around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when she was struck by a vehicle whose driver immediately fled the scene, police said. Walters was left injured at the roadside, and it was not until around 5:44 a.m. — approximately 14 minutes after the impact — that Suffolk County Police responded to a 911 call reporting an injured woman lying on the side of the road. Walters was subsequently transported to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where she was treated for serious injuries, according to Patch.

The suspect, identified as Heather Foster, 50, of West Sayville, was located and arrested by Fifth Precinct officers on Cherry Avenue in Sayville on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at approximately 9:28 a.m. — more than three days after the initial crash. Foster was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injury following a multi-day investigation during which detectives worked to identify the vehicle and driver responsible for the collision, per Patch.

As part of the investigation, detectives executed a search warrant at Foster’s home on Lorraine Circle in West Sayville. During that search, investigators seized evidence they considered pertinent to the case — most critically, the 2021 Mazda CX-5 believed to have been used in the hit-and-run. The SUV was taken into custody as evidence, Suffolk County police said. The recovery of the suspect vehicle at Foster’s residence marked a significant development in confirming her alleged involvement in the May 16 crash on Brook Street.

Foster was transported following her arrest and was scheduled to be arraigned on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, at First District Court in Central Islip. No bail information was immediately available in the initial police report. The investigation was handled by Suffolk County Police’s Fifth Precinct detectives, who pieced together the sequence of events in the days following the crash.

The crash itself occurred in a residential stretch of Sayville in the predawn darkness, at approximately 5:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning — a time and day when pedestrian and jogger traffic is common in quiet suburban neighborhoods, but visibility for drivers can be severely limited. No details regarding weather conditions, road surface state, or Foster’s speed at the time of impact were included in the initial report. No statement from Foster or her attorney has been released publicly.

Location & Road Context

Brook Street, west of Cherry Avenue in Sayville, is a residential corridor in the heart of the Sayville hamlet on Long Island’s South Shore. The area around Cherry Avenue and Brook Street features a mix of residential side streets and community thoroughfares typical of the Sayville neighborhood, where pedestrian activity — including joggers — is common during morning hours. South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore, where Walters was transported, is one of the region’s major trauma-capable facilities and serves communities across the South Shore of Suffolk County. Foster’s Lorraine Circle address in neighboring West Sayville places her just a short distance from the scene of the alleged crash, a detail investigators likely factored into their efforts to narrow down suspects in the days following the incident. For more on accident locations across Long Island, our full map and archive tracks incidents by town and road.

Investigation & Legal Proceedings

Suffolk County Police’s Fifth Precinct detectives led the investigation from the moment officers responded to the scene on the morning of May 16. The investigation culminated on Tuesday, May 19, with the arrest of Foster on Cherry Avenue in Sayville. A search warrant was obtained for Foster’s Lorraine Circle home in West Sayville, where the 2021 Mazda CX-5 — described by police as the vehicle believed to have been involved in the crash — was located and seized as evidence, according to Suffolk County Police as reported by Patch.

Foster faces a charge of leaving the scene of an accident with serious physical injury, a felony-level offense under New York State law that can carry significant prison time depending on the severity of the victim’s injuries and the circumstances of the case. She was arraigned at First District Court in Central Islip on Wednesday, May 20 — the same day news of her arrest was publicly reported. The condition of victim Michele Walters at the time of Foster’s arrest and arraignment was not disclosed by police.

Broader Impact

This incident is the latest in a series of serious crashes involving pedestrians and local residents in the Sayville area. In March 2026, Long Island Traffic reported on a Sayville crash victim suing a former school superintendent who had already been sentenced for vehicular assault — a case that drew significant community attention to pedestrian safety in the hamlet. New York State’s leaving-the-scene statute imposes enhanced penalties when a victim sustains serious physical injury, making Foster’s charge considerably more severe than a standard hit-and-run, and the seizure of the suspect vehicle underscores how forensic evidence tied to the 2021 Mazda CX-5 is expected to play a central role in the prosecution’s case.