The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) has released a still frame image of the suspected vehicle involved in the hit-and-run collision that killed 42-year-old Rafael Cruz Fermin two weeks ago.
The suspected vehicle (pictured above) is a red SUV. Evidence gathered at the scene and surveillance footage from a nearby business show the SUV may be a 2002-2005 four-door Ford Explorer with front headlamp damage.
The crash happened at approximately 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 22. Officers responded to several 911 calls for a crash involving a pedestrian on the 400 block of Broadway.
"I heard about it from my sister, just couldn't control myself,” Fermin’s step-son, David Fausto, says, “This was just absolutely like heartbreaking for me."
When officers arrived on scene, they found Fermin lying unresponsive in the street. Despite all life-saving efforts, he died from his injuries.
CVPD investigators believe the driver of the SUV fled the scene of the crash west toward H Street.
Police urge the driver to come forward, as well as any drivers that may have been traveling in the area at the time.
“I want justice for my husband. I want him to rest in peace, and I don’t think it's right. How could someone live with themselves, knowing what they did to my husband, leaving him in the rain?” Fermin’s wife Gina Mateo tells NBC 7.
The Chula Vista Police are investigating. It is unclear if alcohol was a factor in the crash.
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Anyone with information is asked to contact the Chula Vista Police Department at (619) 691-5151 or you may call the on-duty Watch Commander at (619) 476-5374.
