Hit-and-run driver kills boy on bicycle in Riverside
A 15-year-old boy riding a bicycle on a Riverside street was struck and killed Tuesday night, and authorities are searching for the driver of a dark pickup truck who fled the scene.
The collision happened around 9:30 p.m. near Main and Poplar streets, the Riverside Police Department said.
The bicyclist was identified Wednesday by the Riverside County Coroner’s Office as Colton resident Javier Gonzalez. Police said he sustained major injuries and died at the scene.
Police believe the driver was traveling south on Main Street when he or she struck Gonzalez, who was traveling north in the middle of the road.
“The driver of the pickup truck failed to stop after the collision and fled the scene,” police said in a news release.
Video showed several officers and a group of distraught young boys at the scene. A battered bicycle tire lay in the road.
It is unknown whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the collision.
Anyone with information is asked to call Riverside Police Department traffic Det. Jeff Derouin at (951) 826-8722.
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