Hit-And-Run Suspect Leaves Behind License Plate After 70-Year-Old Critically Injured: SRPD

ROHNERT PARK-COTATI, CA — A Greenfield man was arrested less than an hour after a New Year’s Eve crash in Santa Rosa that critically injured a 70-year-old pedestrian, police said.

Police arrested Brigido Pena Villanueva, 31, on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in serious bodily injury, according to the Santa Rosa Police Department.

The crash happened at about 7:13 p.m. on Wednesday, New Year’s Eve, at the intersection of Morgan Street and College Avenue, just east of the College Avenue exit off Highway 101 in Santa Rosa.

Police said a vehicle traveling eastbound on College Avenue at about 35 mph struck the pedestrian and continued driving after the collision. Investigators found no evidence that alcohol was a factor.
Officers located the injured man lying in the roadway. He was transported to a nearby hospital, where he remains in critical condition.

Police said Pena Villanueva left the front bumper and license plate of his blue 2019 Toyota Tacoma at the scene.

Approximately 24 minutes after the crash, at around 7:37 p.m., Pena Villanueva called the police. He told a dispatcher he was near the intersection of Highway 116 and Highway 101 in Cotati, explaining that his windshield wipers had not been working properly in the rain.

Rohnert Park police located the driver and remained with him until a Santa Rosa Police Department traffic investigator arrived.

The pedestrian’s name is being withheld until relatives are notified.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Officer M. Mieger at mmieger@srcity.org.