54-year-old Ganesh Shenoy was extradited to the US from India after two decades of legal battle as Shenoy fled to Mumvai in 2005, soon after he allegedly caused a deadly car crash in Hicksville in which a Long Island father was killed. Between 2005 and 2025, Shenoy was legally fighting extradition to the US, but ultimately, he exhausted all his options and was sent back to the US to face trial. On September 26, he was arraigned before Judge Helene Gugerty on an indictment charge of Manslaughter in the Second Degree. Shenoy pleaded not guilty and was remanded. If convicted, he could face up to five to 15 years in prison.
What happened in 2005?
On April 11, 2005, Shenoy drove through a red light at the intersection of Levittown Parkway and Old Country Road in Hicksville at a high rate of speed and crashed into a Cadillac driven by 44-year-old Philip Mastropolo, who was heading to work. The crash took place at 6 am. Shenot was allegedly driving twice the speed limit at the time of the crash. From the impact of the crash, Mastropolo’s car skidded 65 feet into the front of a Freightliner box truck that was stopped at the red light on the other side of the intersection.Mastropolo was pronounced dead at the scene and Shenoy was taken to a nearby hospital, but he refused treatment and left the hospital. Shenoy initially lied to investigators and told them that he had a green light. Though his Indian passport and his New York State Driver’s License were seized by the police, 14 days after the crash, Shenoy reportedly boarded a plane at John F Kennedy International Airport and headed to Mumbai. Since then, he never returned to the US.
How was Shenoy extradited?
According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly, the extradition, the first from India to Nassau County since 2017, became possible because of the cooperation between the US Department of Justice, US Marshals Service and the US Embassy in India. “Justice delayed does not mean justice denied,” Donnelly said in a statement. “For nearly two decades, this defendant evaded accountability while a family grieved. Thanks to international cooperation, we can now ensure that he faces the consequences of his alleged actions.”“After decades of evading law enforcement and dodging prosecution, my office finally returned this defendant to the United States to answer for the tragic death of a husband and father of two more than 20 years ago,” said DA Donnelly. “Just two weeks after Ganesh Shenoy allegedly sped through a red light, rammed into 44-year-old Philip Mastropolo’s car and killed him, the defendant fled to India and never looked back. For decades, Philip’s family has lived with the pain of his loss and the knowledge that the man responsible for his death was half a world away. But not anymore. Ganesh Shenoy will be held responsible for his alleged actions, and my office will get justice for Philip and his family.”
