Boston man charged with numerous hit and runs, fleeing the scene with stolen vehicle in 2024 incident
BOSTON, July 14, 2025 – A Boston man will return to court this week after being arraigned Thursday in Roxbury BMC for a chaotic 2024 downtown Boston incident in which he stole two cars and struck multiple other vehicles before speeding away from the scene, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
CARMEN POLITO, 42, of Boston is charged with two counts of receiving a stolen motor vehicle, several counts of leaving the scene of property damage and operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.
Judge Lisa Ann Grant ordered Polito held on $2,000 bail. Polito will return to court July 17 for a status hearing and appointment of counsel.
At about 10:33 p.m. on January 20, 2024, Boston police responded to a 911 call for a person attempting to open car doors on Commonwealth Avenue. Witnesses told officers that the person, later identified as Polito, attempted to enter a car while it was stopped at a red light. Witnesses saw Polito attempting to open other car doors while holding a knife.
Another 911 call came in shortly after for a hit and run at the intersection of Massachusetts and Commonwealth avenues. The caller said he was parked on the street when a black Mercedes, later determined stolen by Polito, sideswiped his truck, causing minor damage. The caller said he saw the Mercedes plow into a Nissan Rogue, causing it to crash into another car.
Witnesses observed the Mercedes reverse and drive forward multiple times, crashing into the Nissan. Polito then exited the Mercedes and began to wave a knife before entering the Nissan, which had been left running with the keys in the ignition. Polito fled the scene down Massachusetts Avenue toward Albany Street.
A third 911 call came in for a hit and run in the area of Belvidere Street and Massachusetts Avenue. The caller reported driving down Massachusetts Avenue and being sideswiped by a Nissan SUV.
A fourth 911 caller reported seeing an SUV driving in loops and crashing into vehicles on Westland Avenue. A Massachusetts State Police trooper soon spotted the stolen Nissan in the area of Frontage Road. The trooper pursued the Nissan into Quincy where he stopped the vehicle and identified the driver as Polito.
Polito was transported and admitted to a local hospital for a mental health evaluation and extended treatment.
“This hectic and dangerous incident left drivers frightened, cars damaged and the safety of motorists and pedestrians along its extended route seriously threatened. Given all the havoc that transpired in such a short span it’s very fortunate that no one was injured,” Hayden said.
Polito has a 13-page board of probation record and has been convicted on various assault charges including assault and battery on a police officer. He received a two-year House of Correction sentence in January 2023 for an incident the prior year where he led police on a foot chase near Northeastern University before being subdued with a beanbag round.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications