Bradenton man sentenced to prison in deadly hit-and-run, court records show
A Bradenton man is heading to prison after a judge sentenced him for a hit-and-run that killed a pedestrian last year, court records show.
Daniel Grosso, 39, received six years in prison, followed by five years of probation, after prosecutors say he fatally struck 29-year-old Samuel Bryant in Sarasota before leaving the scene. Witnesses said Grosso was driving recklessly and weaving through traffic before the crash happened.
Court records show Grosso received credit for 502 days already served in jail. Circuit Judge Donna Padar also permanently revoked his driver’s license.
An attorney representing Grosso did not immediately respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment.
Around 6:50 p.m. on Jan. 16, 2024, Grosso drove a 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis north on U.S. 41 near University Parkway before turning onto Myrtle Street, according to an arrest report.
Investigators said Grosso struck Bryant on westbound Myrtle Street near Cocoanut Avenue. Officers arriving at the scene said they found Bryant in the roadway, and he was later pronounced dead at Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Bradenton man sentenced in fatal craash
Officers collected a broken vehicle lens at the scene that was marked with the word “Ford,” according to the arrest report. Surveillance footage captured a nearby license plate that traced back to Grosso’s 1993 Mercury Grand Marquis, and investigators noted the lens was consistent with the car’s front bumper.
Deputies found the vehicle at Grosso’s home in Manatee County with damage matching a pedestrian crash, including a cracked windshield and a missing passenger-side light lens, according to an arrest report.
When contacted by officers, Grosso admitted he was the only driver of the car, the report says. Deputies say he told investigators he struck something in the roadway but believed it was a garbage can and drove home.
Deputies arrested Grosso nearly three months after the crash, according to court records. In July, he pleaded no contest to leaving the scene of a crash involving death, a first-degree felony.
