Craig Brackley Perkins pleaded not guilty to a charge of leaving the scene of an incident without reporting it.
The crash happened on Sunday morning on the Long Island Expressway South Service Road.
Kieran Smith of Kings Park was travelling east on the expressway near Sagtikos Parkway when his car became disabled.
His body was discovered on the shoulder of the service road by a passing driver at 7:45 a.m.
Perkins is cooperating in the ongoing investigation and his vehicle, a 2010 Ford pickup, is being inspected by analysts at the Suffolk County Crime Lab.
Suffolk County First District Court Judge Patricia Filiberto set cash bail at $5,000.
Perkins will return to district court on May 16.
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