"He was friendly and he was kind to people and he loved baseball and he loved being with me," Danny Faniele, the victim's 14-year-old son, said.
Daniel Faniele, 42, was killed as he crossed Lakeland Avenue on Tuesday night after attending a church program.
"Danny was a good father, loved his son, and now his son is fatherless," Doreen Faracca, his ex-wife, said.
Faniele was walking the short block back from the New Life Community Church, where he had attended Tuesday night bible study, around 9:00 p.m. when he was struck.
"I didn't hear no screech. No nothing. It was just a boom-boom, like something got ran over," Kim Cortez said.
She lives right across from the church, and emerged to find Faniele already dead. The car that plowed into him was long gone.
"Just kept going. I didn't see any car. Just saw the man laying in the middle of the ground," she said.
Suffolk County investigators have identified the vehicle as a 1997 to 2000 Toyota Camry. Detectives believe the color of the vehicle is blue-green and the vehicle may have damage to the front grill and bumper.
As for why the driver ran? That's still anyone's guess.
"Possibly alcohol involvement, speed, violating cell phone laws, other people just get scared and run. They don't know how to handle what they just did," Det. Sgt. Alan Feinstein said.
Faniele died while walking to the house he shared with several friends who say he had fallen on hard times and was just starting to get his life back together.
He was spending more time with his son, who is pleading with the driver to take responsibility and step forward.
"Please come out. It'd make me, my family and a lot of people happy," he said.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have information about this crash to call the Fifth Squad at 631-854-8552 or anonymously to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.