Rockland man pleads guilty in connection with fatal hit-and-run

Authorities say Sharkey was driving with a revoked license and without the required interlock device when he struck 18-year-old Dariel Rivera last July on Route 303 in West Nyack.

Diane Caruso

Jun 4, 2024, 9:40 PM

Updated 196 days ago

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A Garnerville man pleaded guilty on Tuesday to charges connected to a deadly hit-and-run in July 2023.
Patrick Sharkey, 36, pleaded guilty at the Rockland County Courthouse to leaving the scene of an accident without reporting. He first pleaded not guilty in January.
Authorities say Sharkey was driving with a revoked license and without the required interlock device when he struck 18-year-old Dariel Rivera last July on Route 303 in West Nyack. The teen was on an e-scooter on his way to work at FedEx.
The Garnerville man was remanded to jail ahead of his sentencing on Sept. 12. Judge Anne Bianchi said she would impose a sentence of 1 to 3 years - although the prosecution was seeking the maximum sentence of 2 years and 4 months to 7 years.
"Your son's life is worth three years in jail,” said Maria Rivera, Dariel’s mom. “That's not fair. That's not justice."
"He's been taken away - the driver - but it's not satisfactory to what we thought,” said Sam Rivera, Dariel’s dad. “The system has to change."
"It's really unfortunate that this happened,” said Steven Connelly, Dariel’s friend. “This person already had a criminal record and shouldn't have been driving that night."
The Rivera family and their friends were in the court room as well as a handful of supporters for Sharkey.
Sharkey’s attorney declined to comment after the court proceeding.