Police arrest man in hit-and-run case

An anonymous tip led Newport Beach police to the arrest of a man suspected of hitting a bicyclist with his van, leaving the man comatose in the hospital for a week, police said Tuesday.

The tip led police to a 2001 white Toyota Previa minivan, registered to Thomas Trong Ngo, 57, of Santa Ana. Ngo, a Los Angeles Times deliveryman, was arrested Monday night at his Santa Ana home, police said.

Police were called about the accident at about 6:20 a.m. March 7. When officers arrived, they found Jon Robert Vansenus, 44, of Santa Ana unconscious in the bushes on Dover Drive between Cliff Drive and 16th Street.

Police found pieces of a vehicle’s grill near the bike, and with help from representatives at a Costa Mesa Toyota dealership, investigators were able to identify the van’s make and model. A tip led officers to a Previa van in Santa Ana, and tracing the vehicle’s registration led them to Ngo.

Over the weekend Ngo had taken the vehicle to an auto body shop to repair damage to the hood and windshield, Police Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

Ngo was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and was booked at Newport Beach Jail. He was later released after posting a $50,000 bond, police said.

Vansenus is unconscious at Western Medical Center in Santa Ana, according to police.