A man who Oceanside police say hit and killed a bicyclist in September and then left the scene was arrested this week on manslaughter and hit-and-run charges.
Christopher Noah, an active duty member of the Navy, was booked in the Vista Detention Facility on Monday.
Police say Noah was the driver of a green Kia Soul that hit and killed Philip White, 28, in the 3900 block of North River Road in Oceanside. The collision happened just before 1:30 a.m. Sept. 21, 2014, but police say White's body wasn't discovered on the side of the road until four hours later.
"All we had was car parts," said Oceanside Police Sgt. Richard Schickel. "We had nothing more. In this case, it was a Kia Soul. How many Kia Souls are out there?"
Camp Pendleton personnel told police they suspected Noah was involved in the collision after noticing damage to his Kia Soul.
Staffers encouraged him to talk to police, according to a news release from the Oceanside Police Department.
Noah admitted to being the driver of the vehicle, but told investigators he didn’t know he had hit anyone.
"He said he was driving home, he hit something, he thought was a light pole," said Schickel. "He didn't see a downed pole, he didn't see any damage and left."
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But investigators say evidence at the scene, such as DNA and the things he was wearing, contradicted his account; notably, the fact that they say the body appeared to have been moved.
A warrant for one count of felony hit and run and vehicular manslaughter was issued on July 30 and Noah was subsequently arrested by Oceanside police with the cooperation of NCIS agents. He has since been released on bond.
