Syracuse, N.Y. — A Centro bus driver was fired after hitting and killing a man earlier this year in downtown Syracuse, officials said.
The driver, Oleg Konopatskiy, 65, was terminated June 20, according to Centro spokesperson Steven Koegel. He had been with the public transit agency for about eight years.
The bus driven by Konopatskiy was heading northbound on South Salina Street when it struck Harold Mantor, 69, of Salina, around 7:40 p.m. on March 18 near Temple Street.
Syracuse police ticketed Konopatskiy for failing to yield the right of way at a crosswalk and failing to use due care, according to police spokesperson Kieran Coffey.
A second bus was also involved, Coffey said. The other bus, heading southbound on South Salina Street, struck Mantor after the collision from the first bus threw him into the opposing lane of traffic.
The second driver was not ticketed. He has also been with the agency for about eight years, Koegel said.
Neither driver was under the influence of alcohol or drugs, Koegel said.
Mantor later died from his injuries.
Mantor grew up in the Galeville section of Salina and graduated from Liverpool High School. He was part of the rock music scene in Syracuse in the 1970s and 1980s, playing in bands including Kane, Zoid and Hand of Fate, according to Post-Standard archives. He was also a guitarist for Alecstar, which was described as “piping hot from 1978 to 1985.”
Staff writer Jon Moss covers breaking news, crime and public safety. He can be reached at jmoss@syracuse.com or @mossjon7.