UPDATE: Victim and suspect ID’d after fatal MV hit and run

UPDATED: Thursday, Nov. 29, 11 a.m., With release of coroner’s info regarding victim.

MORENO VALLEY — Authorities investigating a Moreno Valley hit and run that killed a 36-year-old Moreno Valley woman Monday evening, Nov. 26, have identified both the alleged suspect as well as the victim who died in the collision.

The fatal crash happened on northbound Old 215 Frontage Rd., about 150 feet south of Cottonwood Ave., Riverside Sheriff’s Sgt. Gilbert Gonzalez had previously explained.

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Riverside County Sheriff-Coroner officials identified this morning Amber Alvarez, 36, of Moreno Valley, as the victim killed when she was struck by a driver who fled after the collision. A coroner’s release indicated Alvarez succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene at 7:22 p.m.

Deputies assigned to Moreno Valley Police Station along with other emergency personnel were dispatched to the accident at 7:18 p.m., after receiving reports of a major injury traffic collision involving a pedestrian.

Deputies arrived within minutes and found Alvarez down in the roadway with major traumatic injuries. Officials quickly determined she had already succumbed to her injuries and pronounced her deceased.

Deputies investigating the deadly collision learned the driver who struck her, later identified as 63-year-old, Moreno Valley resident, Phillip Jeramaine Jones, had fled the scene after the accident, without stopping or attempting to render aid to the mortally injured victim.

During their subsequent investigation, deputies located evidence at the scene that soon led to Jones’ identification and arrest, according to Gonzalez.

After his arrest, Jones was booked into Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility on suspicion of hit and run resulting in great bodily injury, but additional charges could be added. A jail record search revealed Jones remains in custody on $25,000 bail and was scheduled to be arraigned at Riverside Hall of Justice this morning.

Based on the circumstances, members of Moreno Valley PD’s Traffic Reconstruction Team responded and assumed the investigation into this collision.

While officials worked at the scene, they called for the temporary closure of both directions of Old 215 Frontage Road, between Bay and Dracaea avenues and the roadway remained closed for about seven hours, re-opening around 2 a.m., the next morning.

Anyone with information about this investigation or who witnessed the collision and has not yet provided a statement is encouraged to contact MVPD at (951) 486-6700. Callers can refer to incident file number MV18330352 and can remain anonymous. Citizens may also submit a tip using the Sheriff’s CrimeTips online form.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 47, moved last year to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source and Shasta County News Source. Additionally, he writes for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers, Valley News, The Valley Chronicle, and Anza Valley Outlook; as well as Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County and Mountain Echo in Shasta County.

Trevor 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, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 28 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 15 – but soon to be 16 – grandchildren.