Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Drunk Developer Allegedly Tossed Dead Passenger & His Stuff From Porsche After Hamptons Crash
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 5, 2016
Modified Jan 5, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 5, 2016
Modified Jan 5, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
After drunkenly crashing his Porsche into a utility pole in the Hamptons and killing his passenger, a Manhattan real estate developer shoved the dead man's body out of the car and tossed his possessions into the woods, prosecutors said on Monday. You'll recall that Sean Ludwick, 43, was arrested at the end of last summer after driving away from the scene of his crash in Sag Harbor—his dying acquaintance, Paul Hansen, was left at the side of the road.
But Ludwick didn't get far in his smashed up Porsche due to two flat tires, and police followed a trail of debris down the road to where they found him, standing outside the damaged vehicle. Police say Ludwick was uncooperative and slurring his speech, and when his blood alcohol level was finally tested by drawing blood four hours later, it was still 0.18, more than twice the legal limit in New York.
Last year a bereaved friend of Hansen told us, "When officers stumbled upon [Sean], he never mentioned that Paul was there. He didn't say, 'Oh, can you go help my friend.' He didn't mention it at all." Hansen was found dead on the side of the road steps from his home. The friend, who requested anonymity because Hansen's family had not authorized anyone to speak about his death, believed that Ludwick dragged Hansen from the car after the crash and tried to escape.
Prosecutors agree, and they say that Ludwick went even further by tossing Hansen's wallet and other possessions from the vehicle, into a wooded area where investigators later found them. "There were some personal effects from the victim, Mr. Hansen, that he threw out into the woods," prosecutor John Scott Prudenti said at Ludwick's arraignment yesterday.
Ludwick pleaded not guilty to DWI, aggravated vehicular homicide and a slew of other charges, and was released on $1 million bail. Outside the Central Islip courthouse, his attorney, Benjamin Brafman, told reporters, “This is a very sad case. There is no good answer to the fact that someone is dead. There is a difference between a homicide and an accident that results in a person’s death.”
Ludwick owns residences in Bridgehampton and Manhattan, and is the founder of BlackHouse Development, which has built luxury condos and hotels around Manhattan, including the boutique Hotel Americano overlooking the High Line.
Ludwick also faces a civil suit from Hansen's widow, with whom he had two sons, ages 11 and 14 at the time of his death. Hansen's friend told us "he 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."
Tagged
drunk driving
dwi
Hamptons
vehicular homicide
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .