Sean Ludwick, the Manhattan real estate developer who allegedly killed his passenger in a drunken Hamptons car crash last summer and ditched the body on the side of the road before fleeing the scene, was arrested today for attempting to escape the country by boat while enjoying a vacation to Puerto Rico in between court appearances.
According to a spokesperson from the Suffolk County DA's office, Ludwick, 43, was allegedly trying to buy a large boat so that he could flee to South America. State Supreme Court Justice Fernando Camacho issued a bench warrant for his arrest, which U.S. Marshals fulfilled, though it was not immediately clear whether he was arrested in Puerto Rico or on U.S. mainland. Bench warrants are typically issued when a person is acting in contempt of court — say, by trying to sail out of the country when facing criminal charges.
Ludwick was ordered to surrender his passport when he posted bond on January 4th. However, U.S. residents are not required to present passports in order to travel to Puerto Rico, as noted on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.
A source familiar with Ludwick's arrest, who spoke anonymously because he wasn't authorized to discuss the case, said that Ludwick in fact successfully bought a boat in Puerto Rico and was taking sailing lessons from an instructor who just so happened to be a retired FBI agent. The instructor became suspicious and researched Ludwick, before determining that he was planning to sail to South America, at which point he notified authorities.
This thwarted escape isn't Ludwick's first: when he crashed his Porsche into a utility pole last summer and left Paul Hansen to die steps from his home, he didn't get far before police found him further down the road, where he was visibly intoxicated (his blood alcohol measured 0.18, more than twice New York's legal limit, four hours later).
Hansen left behind a wife and two young sons. Shortly after his death, a family friend told us that Hansen "spent every waking moment that he could with his sons. They were his reason for doing everything. Everything he did was for those boys. It was like he was on a mission to be the best dad ever."
Ludwick pleaded not guilty to DWI, aggravated vehicular homicide, and multiple other charges earlier this month, and had been out on a $1 million bail — until U.S. Marshals took him into custody. He's facing a 32-year sentence if proven guilty, though it's unclear whether this attempt to flee will affect that sentence.
He appeared before Justice Camacho this morning and is currently in custody at Suffolk County Jail in Riverside, where is expected to be held until his next court appearance, the DA's office said.
