Michael J. Hynes, the former superintendent of Port Washington schools, pleaded guilty to felony vehicular assault, Thursday Dec. 18, for a crash last year that seriously injured a motorcyclist.
Hynes, 54, of Sayville, entered the plea in Suffolk County Court in Riverhead before State Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins.
He faces sentencing Feb. 3. Hynes attorney, John Halverson, said Hynes is expected to receive five years of probation, according to Newsday.
Halverson could not immediately be reached.
Hynes had pleaded not guilty to upgraded charges of driving while intoxicated and vehicular assault in February.
The crash occurred shortly after 9 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2024, when Hynes was driving his 2019 Honda Civic north on Railroad Avenue.
Authorities said he attempted a left turn onto Depot Street and struck a southbound 2022 Harley-Davidson operated by 63-year-old Alberto Fernandez, also of Sayville.
Fernandez suffered a pelvic fracture and other injuries and was treated at South Shore University Hospital. Hynes sustained minor injuries and was also hospitalized.
According to police, Hynes had bloodshot, glassy eyes, slurred speech and unsteady footing at the scene.
Hynes was initially charged with driving while intoxicated. Police said he refused a preliminary breath test but later submitted to a blood test that reportedly showed a 0.09% blood alcohol level, above the state’s 0.08% legal limit.
Prosecutors later upgraded the charges to felony vehicular assault.
Hynes had previously served as superintendent in the Patchogue-Medford and Shelter Island school districts, before becoming superintendent of the Port Washington Union Free School District where he served for over five years. He announced in a Nov. 9, 2024, letter that he would step down from his role as Port Washington superintendent in December 2024.
“During my tenure, I have been blessed to lead one of the premier school districts in New York State,” Hynes wrote. He told the Port Washington News at the time that his resignation was carefully considered and motivated by a new opportunity in public education that he did not elaborate on.
Just two weeks later, Hynes’ resignation announcement was overshadowed by the Sayville crash. Following the incident, he left the district, and Christopher Shields, assistant superintendent of human resources and leadership development, was appointed acting superintendent.
Gaurav Passi now serves as the district’s superintendent. A district declined to comment on Hynes’ guilty plea.
