Crime & Safety
Benicia Hit-and-Run Kills Vallejo Man; Suspect Sought
The driver of a 2004 Cadillac Escalade is suspected in the crash.
By Bay City News
The Solano County coroner's office has identified the victim of a hit-and-run collision on eastbound Interstate Highway 780 east of Columbus Parkway in Benicia Monday morning as 64-year-old Edilberto Alvarez of Vallejo.
Alvarez was killed after his 2008 Toyota Tacoma struck the left front of a 1997 Dodge Caravan that had collided with the center divider of the freeway around 5:35 a.m., California Highway Patrol Sgt. Jason Hekker said.
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After the collision, the Toyota stopped facing westbound in one of the two eastbound lanes of the highway, Hekker said.
Alvarez got out of his Toyota truck and was standing in front of it when he was struck by a 2004 Cadillac Escalade, the CHP said. He was thrown 50 feet and landed on eastbound I-780, Hekker said. He was pronounced dead at 5:57 a.m., the coroner's office said.
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The Cadillac then struck the Toyota and the Dodge head on, Hekker said.
Witnesses who stopped at the scene said the driver of the Cadillac, whose identity is unknown, got out of his vehicle, looked at the collision scene and at Alvarez's body and fled, the CHP said.
Benicia police were informed of the collision and set up a perimeter near Benicia State Park to try to locate the hit-and-run driver, the CHP said.
The driver is described as a Hispanic male who was wearing jeans and a black hoodie, the CHP said.
The Solano County CHP is working on leads to identify the Cadillac driver, and is asking the public for help identifying him, Hekker said.
An autopsy on Alvarez is scheduled for Tuesday, the coroner's office said.
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