Nicki Minaj is opening up about the death of her father, Robert Maraj, for the very first time.
Robert was crossing the road in Long Island when he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. According to Nicki’s spokesperson Joseph Carozza, he was taken to a local hospital in serious condition and announced dead the next day.
Despite writing, she wasn’t ready to “talk about the passing” of her father yet; Onika Tanya Maraj (Nicki Minaj) broke her silence in an emotional message on her website.
“I can say it has been the most traumatic loss of my life. I find myself wanting to call him always. Now even more that he’s gone,” Nicki wrote. “May his soul rest in peace. He was truly loved & will be very missed.”
Some days later, after the hit-and-run, a 70-year-old man, Charles Polevich, was arrested by Nassau County Police in relation to Maraj’s death. Charles was charged with leaving the scene of the incident and tampering with evidence after hiding his Volvo 1992 station wagon in an isolated garage after the accident to conceal it.
“He was totally aware of what happened,” Steven Fitzpatrick, the Nassau County Police Detective, said at a news conference. “He got out of the car, and he stared at the perished, got into his car, and made the deliberate decision to leave instead of calling 911.”
According to USA Today, Nicki’s mother, Carol Maraj, filed a $140 million lawsuit against the Supreme Court of New York’s culprit.
“Charles’s behaviour was cowardly, immoral, and criminal. We will hold him accountable for his reckless driving that led to Robert Maraj’s death,” Ben Crump Law wrote.
Charles’s attorney, Marc C. Gann, said, “Mr Charles has expressed condolences and empathy to the Maraj family. While the civil suit is expected, the criminal charges pending against Mr Charles have no relevance to the civil case,” in a statement with USA Today.
