Escondido

A 12-year-old Escondido boy died when he collided with a truck while riding his bicycle early Thursday morning in Escondido, authorities said. The driver of the truck fled the scene but was arrested a short time later.

The boy, Juan Aguirre, was cycling down a hill about 7:30 a.m. in the 1200 block of West 9th Avenue when he lost control of his bicycle, crossed over the dividing lane, and hit a truck driving in the opposite direction, Escondido Police Lt. Earl Callander said.

Aguirre, a student at Del Dios Middle School, died a short time later at Palomar Hospital, according to Callander.

The driver of the truck, Jeff Alan Brown, 23, of Oceanside, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run within an hour of the accident, Callander said.

Brown is employed by Brown Trucking, a company owned by his parents in Bonsall, and was driving one of the firm’s trucks when the accident occurred. He did not give a reason for leaving the accident site, authorities said.