Escondido, California – July 3, 2011
A fiery hit-and-run early Sunday morning killed Miguel A. Rojas, 18.
A Dodge minivan driven by Mr. Rojas made a left turn in front of a black Lexus ES 300 on Washington Avenue. The Lexus, driven by Juan C. Carillo, 20, of Escondido smashed into the Dodge about 2:10 a.m., according to the Escondido Police Department.
The Dodge burst into flames.
Mr. Carillo and some of his passengers fled from the scene. A passenger who had sustained injuries remained behind and was transported to a hospital for medical attention.
Mr. Rojas was killed in the crash.
Mr. Carillo was tracked down Sunday night and placed under arrest. He was charged with driving without a license and felony hit-and-run. He remained in jail Sunday with bail set at $50,000.
The exact location of this accident has not been released.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that the number of fatalities along America’s roadways declined in 2010 for the fifth-straight year. The total number of highway deaths last year was 32,788, down 3 percent over 2009.
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