Sara Burack (YouTube/Entertainment Tonight)
A Virginia woman accused of striking a real estate agent who was walking on a road in the Hamptons — the famously wealthy New York summer vacation enclave — and fleeing the scene reportedly said that she thought she had hit a traffic cone.
Amanda Kempton, 32, allegedly struck Sara Burack, 40, as Burack was walking on a road in Hampton Bays in the early morning hours on Thursday, the New York Post reported. Prosecutors have charged her with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident involving a fatality.
Burack, a high-end real estate agent, appeared on reality TV shows including “Million Dollar Beach House” on Netflix in 2022. She was reportedly walking westbound on the Montauk Highway roadway carrying a pink suitcase when she was struck. She was found unconscious by police shortly before 3 a.m. on Thursday and was rushed to a hospital, where she died from her injuries.
Love true crime? Sign up for our newsletter, The Law&Crime Docket, to get the latest real-life crime stories delivered right to your inbox.
In a Saturday arraignment, Kempton — a marine biologist — pleaded not guilty and was released from custody after her family, who live in the Hamptons hamlet of Manorville, put up collateral in lieu of the $100,000 bond set by the court, the New York Post reported.
Prosecutors reportedly argued she was a flight risk because she was supposed to return to Virginia for a wedding on Saturday.
Kempton reportedly held back tears as she pleaded not guilty. Her attorney, William Keahon, told the court that conditions were foggy at the time, and Kempton didn”t see Burack at all, believing instead that she had actually hit a traffic cone.
More from Law&Crime: Special education teacher killed a pedestrian in drunken hit-and-run on her way to school: Police
According to the New York Post report, Kempton discovered Burack’s pink wheeled suitcase lodged under her car after arriving at a friend’s house.
The collision reportedly sparked a search that ultimately led police to Kempton
Kempton faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
Neither Keahon nor representatives from Southampton immediately responded to Law&Crime’s request for comment.
