A popular drug store manager walking in Chelsea yesterday with his roommate was killed – and his friend left in critical condition – after a hit-and-run driver ran a light and plowed into another car that spun out of control and struck both men, cops said.
Investigators were hunting for the driver of a silver 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix they believe was heading north on Sixth Avenue at 1:45 a.m. when it blew through the light and rammed a black Infiniti going west across 17th Street, cops said.
The Infiniti spun around and hit William Morales, 30, who died at St. Vincents Hospital, and his roommate, Lawrence Anson James, 35, who was in critical condition, cops said.
The Infiniti, with two people aboard, also smacked into a parked Plymouth with two people inside, cops said. None of the four were seriously injured.
After setting off the terrible chain of events, the Grand Prix driver made a left on 17th Street, speeded up the block, and fled after abandoning the car in front of 230 W. 17th St., cops said.
Friends and co-workers were shocked by the senseless death of Morales, an outgoing assistant manager at the CVS store on Sixth Avenue and West Fourth Street.
Additional reporting by Marianne Garvey