Nearly two decades after a deadly Hicksville crash left a Long Island father dead and a driver living abroad, the case has finally landed in a New York prison cell. Ganesh Shenoy, 54, who was extradited from India and later pleaded guilty in connection with the 2005 wreck, was sentenced Friday to 3 1/3 to 10 years behind bars for manslaughter in the second degree in the death of 44-year-old Philip Mastropolo.
The 2005 collision
On the morning of April 11, 2005, Shenoy drove through a steady red light at the intersection of Levittown Parkway and Old Country Road in Hicksville and slammed into Mastropolo's Cadillac, according to a press release from the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors say Shenoy was traveling at nearly twice the speed limit, and the force of the impact demolished Mastropolo’s vehicle and pushed it about 65 feet into the front of a Freightliner box truck. Mastropolo was pronounced dead at the scene. Shenoy, prosecutors add, left the hospital after refusing medical attention.
Flight and extradition
Fourteen days after the crash, Shenoy boarded a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Mumbai and remained in India until U.S. authorities located and detained him, as reported by CBS New York. The United States Marshals Service took Shenoy into custody and he was extradited back to Nassau County on Sept. 25, 2025, which prosecutors said marked the first extradition from India to the U.S. since 2017. He was arraigned later that month, initially pleaded not guilty and eventually reached a plea agreement in February.
Plea and sentence
Shenoy pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the second degree on Feb. 6 and returned to court Friday for sentencing. Prosecutors had sought a four-to-12-year term, the Nassau County DA’s office said, but the judge imposed a 3 1/3-to-10-year sentence, as reported by ABC7 New York. The case was handled by the DA’s Vehicular Crimes Bureau under Bureau Chief Michael Bushwack and Assistant District Attorney James Taglienti, while Shenoy was represented by George Michel, Esq. Family members were reportedly in the courtroom for the sentencing, according to local reporting.
What the law says
Manslaughter in the second degree is classified as a Class C felony under New York law, according to the New York State Senate, and sentencing ranges for Class C offenses are reflected in guidance from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision. The department’s sentencing tables indicate that Class C felonies can carry indeterminate prison terms that may extend up to 15 years, depending on the specific count and the offender’s status.
“For two decades, Philip Mastropolo's wife and children have carried the weight of his loss,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said in court, according to ABC7 New York. The family said they appreciated the attention to the case while asking for privacy. Shenoy is due to begin serving his sentence, and additional filings could follow as the case moves through post-sentencing procedures.
