NEW YORK — An MTA train operator has been arrested in the hit-and-run death of a well-known jeweler.
Charles Jordan, 46, is charged with second-degree murder, second-degree murder with depraved indifference and leaving the scene of an accident in connection with the death of 40-year-old Aron Aranbayev, police said.
Aranbayev was run over near his Forest Hills home on 71st Avenue by 110th Street on July 19, police said.
Surveillance cameras captured the vehicle after investigators said the driver deliberately backed over the 40-year-old jeweler and drove off.
Investigators believe Aranbayev and the driver may have gotten into a fight over a parking spot.
Aranbayev, who suffered severe head trauma, was taken to Jamaica Hospital, where he died.
Aranbayev worked at his family’s renowned store, Rafaello & Co. in Manhattan, for a decade.
His Instagram feed includes photos of him posing with many celebrity clients in his store, including Sean “Diddy” Combs, Kevin Hart, Khloe Kardashian and Macklemore.
Aranbayev leaves behind a wife and three young children, including a 7-month-old baby.
“It’s just a very, very tough time,” the victim’s wife, Sophia Aranbayev, told CBS2’s Ilana Gold in an exclusive interview last week. “Everything is just taken away in a day.”
