Man arrested after ‘targeted' hit & run as Gardai trace 'black saloon car'
A man has been arrested after a 'targeted' hit and run in a north Dublin town on Monday night in which a man in his 30s was killed.
Mircea Rostas was hit by a car on Railway Street in Balbriggan shortly after 9pm on Monday night. That car failed to remain at the scene.
His body was removed from the scene on Tuesday morning. A post-mortem examination has been completed by the State pathologist, the results of which are not being released for operational reasons.
On Tuesday evening, as part of the ongoing investigation, a man in his 40s was arrested and is currently detained under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984 at a Garda Station in North Dublin.
An incident room has been established at Balbriggan Garda Station and a Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) has been appointed. A Garda Family Liaison Officer has been assigned and is providing support to the deceased's family.
It's understood Mr Rostas was targeted as part of an ongoing feud between members of the Roma community, which had been simmering for several weeks until Monday night when he was killed.
On Monday night, local people gathered around the man's body shortly after the horror incident, which happened at around 9pm, with one distraught youth, who was with Mr Rostas, sobbing: 'He's not breathing' and 'I had beef with them for ages' in relation to the suspects.
Gardaí are continuing to appeal for anyone with any information regarding this collision to contact authorities.
A Garda spokesperson said: 'Gardaí in Balbriggan are continuing to investigate all of the circumstances surrounding a fatal road traffic incident that occurred on Railway Street, Balbriggan, shortly after 9:00pm on Monday'.
They added: 'Investigating Gardaí are appealing to the public for any witnesses to the incident to come forward.
'They are particularly interested in the movements of a black saloon car observed in the area at the time, which was later abandoned following a collision on Drogheda Street, Balbriggan with a second saloon car shortly after the fatal incident.
'Gardaí are appealing to any road users or pedestrians who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) from the Railway Street and Drogheda Street areas of Balbriggan between 8.30pm and 9.30pm to make it available to investigators.
'Anyone with information is urged to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 01 666 4500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.'
Gardaí have also appealed for people to not share footage of this incident on social media.
They added: 'An Garda Síochána is aware that images and video footage related to this incident are circulating on social media and messaging platforms. We are appealing to anyone who receives this content to refrain from sharing or reposting it further.'
The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
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