UPDATE: RIVERSIDE: 19-year-old Moreno Valley woman killed in hit and run collision, suspect apprehended

A 19-year-old Moreno Valley woman was killed when a hit and run driver smashed into her car this morning in Riverside. Everardo Rodriguez photo

UPDATE #3: 12/09/2016 9:38 p.m.

An updated jail record search revealed Erasco Gomez, the alleged suspect in this morning’s fatal hit and run traffic collision that killed 19-year-old Linda Rodriguez, was booked into jail on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while driving under the influence and hit and run resulting in great bodily injury or death.

Gomez, who fled the scene of the deadly, early-morning accident, is being held in lieu of $75,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned at the Riverside Hall of Justice Dec. 13.

 

 

 

UPDATE #2: 12/09/2016 6:03 p.m.

RIVERSIDE – Riverside police officials announced they have apprehended the driver involved in this morning’s hit and run traffic collision that killed a 19-year-old Moreno Valley woman.

The victim was fatally injured when the suspect ran a red light and plowed into the victim’s car.

The deadly wreck happened at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Tyler Street in the City of Riverside.

Riverside police detectives located the suspect’s van parked at a Riverside area apartment complex and detained Erasto Gomez, 59, of Riverside.

After questioning Gomez, investigators arrested him on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in death and misdemeanor manslaughter, according to Riverside police officials.

A jail records search revealed Gomez was booked into the Robert Presley Detention Center at 5:41 p.m. As of 6:45 p.m., his bail amount and arraignment date have not yet been listed as he is still going through the booking process.

Anyone with information about this incident or who witnessed the deadly collision is urged to immediately call Riverside Police Detective K. Madsen at (951) 826-8723. Callers can refer to incident file number P16225542 and can remain anonymous.

Although the victim has not been officially identified by coroner’s officials, friends and family have identified the woman killed in the collision as Linda Rodriguez.

Family members have planned a candle light vigil for later this evening at the intersection where Rodriguez died.

 

ORIGINAL STORY

RIVERSIDE – A 19-year-old Moreno Valley resident was killed by a hit and run driver when a van ran a red light and smashed into the car she was driving Friday, Dec. 9, about 5:50 a.m.

The victim was traveling through the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and Tyler Street in the City of Riverside in the small sedan when a full-size van ran a red light and plowed into her car.

The impact between the two vehicles caused the victims car to slam into a utility pole and a water control valve in the center median of the intersection. The valve was sheared off at its base, sending a geyser of water into the air and over the victim’s car.

“A late model Nissan Sentra driven by a 19-year-old female resident of Moreno Valley was driving west on Magnolia Avenue,” Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback explained. “She entered the intersection on a green traffic control signal and was subsequently hit broadside by a white full-sized van traveling south on Tyler Street.”

“It appears the van failed to stop at the red traffic control signal,” Railsback said.

A motorist who witnessed the collision saw the van flee from the deadly collision. The suspect did not stop to render aid to the victim and did not call 911 to report the accident. The witness followed the fleeing van and called 911 to report the collision.

The witness continued following the fleeing van south on Tyler Street after the collision, while providing information about the van to Riverside police dispatchers. The witness eventually lost sight of the suspect’s van near the area of Indiana Avenue and Van Buren Boulevard.

The van was described as a white, full-sized, 2001 Dodge with the California license plate 5XGN087.

Riverside Police and Fire Departments responded to the scene of the accident, where they found the wreckage of the victim’s Nissan. The woman was found trapped inside her vehicle and firefighters had to extricate the victim from her destroyed car.

Despite their best efforts to save the victim, she succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. She has not been identified, pending notification of her family.

The Riverside Police Department’s Major Accident Investigation Team responded to the scene to conduct an investigation into the deadly wreck. Their investigation is active and ongoing.

Traffic investigators are asking for assistance in locating the van involved in this hit and run collision.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg in an off-duty accident.

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations, including the Robert Presley Detention Center, the Southwest Station in Temecula, the Hemet Station, and the Lake Elsinore Station, along with many other locations.