An SUV involved in a hit-and-run that left a pedestrian dead has been located, Escondido police said Thursday.
Investigators said in a statement that the gray 1995 Toyota Land Cruiser will be processed for evidence. It was unclear how and where it was found, and police did not say to whom it was registered.
There have been no arrests and the investigation is continuing.
Miguel Leonides Garcia, 58, of Escondido was crossing the street to the west at Broadway and Mission Avenue when a white “off-road style” SUV struck him shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday, the department said.
Following the impact, the driver of the vehicle – which was outfitted with a large spare tire and a red jack attached to its back end – left the scene, fleeing north on Broadway, then east on Lincoln Avenue, police said.
Paramedics took Garcia to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.
Anyone with information about the crash was asked to call Traffic Investigator Pete McCullough at 760-839-4930.
