Suspect arrested almost a year after deadly hit-and-run in Orange County
Court records show that a man in the Orange County jail is suspected in a an almost year-old hit-and-run that left a man dead.
Rafael Rivera, 55, is charged with leaving the scene of a crash involving death and evidence tampering.
According to the arrest affidavit, Rivera was driving a Mitsubishi Galant on May 9, 2024 when he struck a pedestrian at Ford Curry Road and Colton Drive. That pedestrian, identified as Jonnier Agosto Cortes, was killed.
Troopers say Rivera kept driving, then parked outside a store and checked the car for damage before leaving again.
Witnesses and the store's security video helped identify the car. Rivera was later determined to be the driver.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nine years later, famed Pulse survivor searches for closure
As the sun set behind a cloudy sky Wednesday, a small group of people set up flags, lit candles and strummed a guitar while the Lake Eola fountain splashed behind them. At the center of the group was Chris Hansen, a man with a near-constant smile on his face, but whose eyes occasionally flash signs of a deeper pain. Hansen became well known during the night of the 2016 mass shooting as being one of the first to escape Pulse nightclub, and who went back in to help pull others out. Now he works across the country to give victims and allies of violence spaces to be together. 'I woke up from a dream, and I thought I was in a crowd of people in my dream, and I was wondering what it was about,' Hansen said. 'I don't remember, except for the fact that I brought a lot of people together.' Hansen spoke of his struggle to move on from that night, describing the process as glacial. His project, called the Rainbow Remembrance, centers on affirmation, love and hope. It's also personal for him. He pointed to one lantern in honor of a 17-year-old from his hometown who was shot by a police officer. Hansen will take his own turn going through Pulse Friday morning, where he said he will be focused on the wall that saved his life. 'I want to touch that bullet hole. I want to see the that I saved my own life, or that my life was saved for some reason,' he said. 'Through every storm as a rainbow. Who knows why I'm still here or what message I'm supposed to perceive, but I know that I'm here for a reason, and I'm not going to be quiet.' Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Yahoo
Neighbors cite ‘dangerous' speeding in neighborhood where hit-and-run driver killed Kissimmee woman
Florida Highway Patrol troopers are investigating a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened in Osceola County Wednesday morning. The crash was reported just before 6:30 a.m. on Florida Parkway near Birchwood Circle. Troopers said a 40-year-old Kissimmee woman was struck by a vehicle while running in the northbound lane of Florida Parkway. The driver who struck her fled the scene. Neighbors said the driver leaving shocked them, but the crash didn't. 'It's very dangerous,' said Esther Colon. Colon and her neighbor, Rebecca Hernandez, said drivers sometimes go 70 mph, despite the speed limit being 30 mph. 'We always run across. Even if we don't see cars, we run,' Colon said. 'Sometimes they pass so fast you don't have time to look or see them. It's very very, very dangerous.' Their homes are right in front of the fatal crash scene. 'It was really bad this morning,' Hernandez said. The victim was transported to Osceola Regional Hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Her name was not released. Anyone with information on the crash is asked to call 911. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gun used in Hazleton homicide was collateral for loans
Jun. 11—WILKES-BARRE — The firearm used in the December 2020 fatal shooting of Ashokkumar Patel was never recovered, and prosecutors conveyed to a Luzerne County jury Wednesday how they believe homicide suspect Jafet De Jesus Rodriguez managed to obtain the weapon. Angel Luis Rivera, deemed a material witness, told the jury he obtained a Glock firearm as collateral for a loan he gave to another man. Rivera then told the jury he was in need of cash and gave the Glock to Rodriguez, 44, as collateral in October 2020, about two months before Patel was killed during a robbery at Craig's Food Mart on West Broad Street, Hazleton, on Dec. 12, 2020. Rivera called himself a friend of Rodriguez, whom he also worked for at Rodriguez's car wash and auto-detailing garage on East Diamond Avenue in Hazleton. Hesitant to testify at times when questioned by Luzerne County specially assigned Assistant District Attorney Drew McLaughlin, Rivera explained he loaned another man money and took the Glock firearm as collateral. Sometime in October 2020, Rivera said he needed money to pay rent and used the Glock as collateral for cash given to him by Rodriguez. Rivera further said he gave the gun case to Rodriguez's then-girlfriend. On cross-examination, Rodriguez's co-defense lawyer, Joseph F. Sklarosky Sr., reviewed a transcript of Rivera's interview with Hazleton City police detectives after Patel was fatally shot, indicating many inconsistencies between Rivera's direct testimony and his interview with detectives. During the interview, Rivera talked about a Beretta handgun being used as collateral for money loans but Sklarosky Sr. pointed out from the transcript that a detective corrected Rivera the firearm was a Glock. At one point, Sklarosky Sr., who is co-defending Rodriguez with Attorney Michael A. Sklarosky, asked Rivera: "Didn't you rob Craig's market and kill Mr. Patel?" Sklarosky Sr. asked, resulting in an immediate objection by McLaughlin, which was sustained by Judge Michael T. Vough. Sklarosky Sr. further got Rivera to admit he fled the Hazleton area after Patel was killed only to be found in Philadelphia, resulting in a material witness declaration by Vough in August 2024. McLaughlin and Assistant District Attorney Gerry Scott introduced a transcript from a jailhouse phone call between Rodriguez and a woman where Rodriguez discussed a stove. Detectives in court records and previous testimony say they found a red sweatshirt, gloves and a face mask in a garbage bag hidden inside a stove at Rodriguez's car wash and auto-detailing garage. Surveillance video of the fatal shooting, which was shown to the jury Tuesday, showed the gunman wore a red sweatshirt and concealed his face and head with a face mask and hood of the sweatshirt. McLaughlin told the jury during his opening statement that Patel's blood was found on the sweatshirt. To counter the blood on the sweatshirt, Michael Sklarosky during his opening statement told the jury Rodriguez's DNA was not found on the sweatshirt, gloves and face mask found in the stove. Rodriguez is facing trial on an open count of criminal homicide, robbery and theft. Testimony continues Wednesday afternoon. Featured Local Savings Featured Local Savings
