Prosecutor: Ludwick Pulled Hansen From Car After Noyac Crash

Sean P. Ludwick, charged with vehicular homicide in the death of Paul Hansen in Noyac, dragged Mr. Hansen from the passenger seat after an Aug. 30 crash and left him on the side of the road, the prosecutor heading the case against Mr. Ludwick said Monday.

Mr. Ludwick, 43, was arraigned Monday in New York State Supreme Court in Central Islip on multiple felony charges stemming from an early morning crash on Rolling Hills Court East. Police said Mr. Ludwick was drunk when he crashed his 2013 Porche convertible into a utility pole just yards from Mr. Hansen's driveway.

After pulling Mr. Hansen from the wrecked car, Mr. Ludwick then drove off in the direction of his Bridgehampton house, said John Scott Prudenti, the prosecutor. He had two flat tires and the two rims were soon damaged as well, leaving gouge marks in the road, he said. Mr. Ludwick got about a quarter of a mile before the car stopped moving. At that point, Mr. Prudenti said, Mr. Ludwick found several of Mr. Hansen's personal items in the car and threw those into a nearby stand of woods.

Asked after the arraignment if Mr. Hansen was still alive when Mr. Ludwick allegedy pulled him from the car, Mr. Prudenti declined to comment. Until Monday, police and prosecutors had not commented on allegations that Mr. Ludwick had removed Mr. Hansen from the car. 

According to the prosecutor, Mr. Ludwick refused to cooperate with the police after being arrested. They obtained a warrant to draw his blood four hours later; his blood alcohol level at that point was .18 of 1 percent, well over the .08 reading that defines intoxication under the law.

Mr. Ludwick, a New York real estate developer, is free after posting a $1 million bond. Mr. Prudenti asked Monday that the bond be raised to $3 million, pointing out that Mr. Ludwick faces between 10 2/3 and 32 years in prison if convicted on the top charges — aggravated vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of a fatal accident. He also asked that Mr. Ludwick be required to turn over his passport.

Benjamin Brafman, Mr. Ludwick's lawyer, countered that Mr. Ludwick had already turned over his passport in Southampton Town Justice Court when he was first arraigned at the local level and that he has never missed a court appearance. New York State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho agreed to maintain the bond at $1 million, provided that it be confirmed that Mr. Ludwick has surrendered his passport.

Mr. Prudenti said in court that the two men had been drinking together throughout the night in various Southampton bars. He also said that while Mr. Ludwick's son was at a sleepover with Mr. Hansen's son, the two men were not close friends.

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Correction: The original version of this article stated that police had said Mr. Hansen had been partially ejected from the vehicle after the crash. This was not the case, according to District Attorney Thomas Spota.