Man charged in crash that killed teen

LANCASTER, N.Y. (WIVB) - A Lancaster man is facing charges, after allegedly driving drunk and hitting a 14-year-old boy with his car Thursday night then leaving the scene.

Michael Ettipio, 23, is accused of hitting and killing 14-year-old Bryce Buchholz with his car on Lake Avenue. Police say Ettipio never stopped.

"It was terrible, it was absolutely terrible. It was probably one of the worst things I've ever, ever seen in my whole entire life," said neighbor Angela Mackiewicz, who heard the loud crash and witnessed the scene.

Mackiewicz and her boyfriend, Benny Kirkland, were just coming home from Tim Horton's when they saw the accident. Kirkland said the driver was going around 70 MPH and didn't slow down or stop after he hit the young teen.

>> See photos of Bryce Buchholz here

Mackiewicz ran out of her home on Lake Avenue, on the quiet residential street, and saw the boy on a lawn, lying next to the bright orange bicycle he was riding.

Kirkland immediately got into his car and gave chase, following the driver.

Mackiewicz said, "He took on like a bat out of hell, like a maniac. He took off he was gone.

"I followed the guy home, and when I got to his house, he had actually backed the car into the driveway. And when I saw who it was, he was wiping his car off," Kirkland recounted.

News 4's Rich Newberg asked: What did you say to him?

"You're wiping your car off? You left the scene of an accident, which means you know you've done something wrong. You're actually standing here, wiping off your car. You're more concerned about your car than the kid you hit. I explained to him that you killed somebody at the corner of Lake and Sagebrush. His reaction was, 'He didn't see anything.' At that time, I grabbed him by the shirt and put him in my car. I have safety locks on my door and safety window locks, can't open them, and put him in my car and brought him back to the scene, brought him back in my car. At that point, when we turned the corner, [I said to him], 'Now you see what you created?' And at that time is when he realized what he had done."

Rich: What did he say to you?

"'Did I actually kill the kid?' And I say, 'Yeah.' And at that moment, there was just silence in the car."

Rich: Some people are calling you a hero.

"I'm not a hero, just a dad doing what dads do. Any dad would have done it. When it comes to the kids, not on my watch. It just doesn't happen. If you do wrong, you answer to it. One thing you don't do is drink and drive. That's a no-no; we don't tolerate that around here."

Ettipio was arrested at the scene a short time later. He is charged with second-degree manslaughter, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, DWI and failing to keep right.

Police say the 14 year old boy was riding a bicycle with his friend. His friend wasn't physically injured but the emotional wounds run deep.

"We spoke with him at the scene, and he's meeting with counselors," said Lancaster Police Lt. Ronald Rozler.

In a police report, the friend told police he couldn't look at his friend after the accident. Also in the report, Ettipio blew a .225 BAC after the incident, almost three times the legal limit.

He is being held on $25,000 bail. A felony hearing is scheduled for May 9th.