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Pedestrian killed on Park Avenue

Police: Man was walking to work at LBHS when he was struck

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An employee at Long Beach High School was struck and killed by a vehicle on East Park Avenue early Friday morning as he was walking to work, police said.

According to Long Beach police, the incident occurred at 5:55 a.m. at Park Avenue and Maple Boulevard. According to police, the man was believed to have been walking north when he was struck by a vehicle heading west on Park Avenue.

“He was walking to work when he was hit,” said Lt. Mark Stark of the LBPD.

School officials said that the victim, Sean McCarthy, worked for the school district since 1995 and was a beloved employee who was well-liked by his colleagues. Officials expressed shock and sadness, and said their thoughts were with McCarthy's family and friends.

"The Long Beach Board of Education and administration extend our deepest thoughts and condolences to Sean McCarthy's family and friends during this difficult time," Schools Superintendent David Weiss said in a statement. "The district is truly saddened over his tragic death. Mr. McCarthy, a community resident, has been employed with the district since 1995 as a cleaner at the high school. He was a great employee and very well-liked by his fellow colleagues. Upon learning of this horrible news, our Crisis Intervention Team was immediately contacted and support services are available to staff, as well as anyone else, as needed."

Long Beach police, as well as Nassau County homicide and crime scene units, responded to the scene, where McCarthy was observed lying on the ground. Long Beach firefighters also responded to the scene, and McCarthy was transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

“They don’t believe any criminality was involved at this time, but they’re still investigating,” Stark said.

Stark said that police determined that the driver was not drunk at the time of the incident, and said the vehicle was taken to LBPD headquarters for a brake test and other inspections. Police did not say whether the driver was speeding.

“They checked the driver for DUI and did brake tests — the brakes worked and the person was not drunk,” said Stark, adding that Long Beach and Nassau County detectives are currently investigating the incident.

According to the Long Beach Fire Department, westbound traffic was shut down for several hours on East Park Avenue, between Maple and Pacific boulevards, during the police investigation. Park Avenue has since been reopened.