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Victim in fatal New Britain hit and run identified

The runner was killed when a stolen car came across a lawn and hit him Tuesday

NEW BRITAIN, Conn — While New Britain police continue their search for the passenger in the stolen car that killed a New Britain jogger Tuesday night, they have released the name of the 53-year-old man, whose life was taken.

The victim, Henryk Gudelski, 53, was an avid runner, who lived with his fiancée in New Britain. And residents of the East Street neighborhood where the accident happened are still processing the horror.

"I just got home from work I was making dinner for my daughter, and I heard a loud bang and I thought it was thunder at first," said Candice Fairweather of New Britain.

But she knew as soon as she looked outside it was worse. Surveillance video showed Gudelski hit by a stolen Audi with such force that his body ended up across the street next to a neighbor's dumpster, which the SUV crashed into.

"And I saw the deceased person and his body was just lying there," said Fairweather.

Immediately she reflected on how lucky she was.

"I’ve lived in that neighborhood for years," she said. "There are plenty of times that I have actually walked around the block and that could’ve been me at any moment. That could’ve been my daughter."

And she says the fact that the driver of this stolen car has been arrested 13 times in the last 3.5 years shows how broken Connecticut's juvenile justice system is.

"At what point are we where the justice system is going to put their foot down," said Fairweather.

"The juvenile justice system did not help this offender at all rehabilitate because no consequences occurred, and it definitely didn’t help to the public because we have an innocent a truly innocent victim," said New Britain Police Chief Christopher Chute.

The Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance says there are plenty of programs that exist nationally that work at keeping young people in their communities that have been shown to increase public safety and have shown fantastic outcomes. 

Fairweather also questioned the charges 17-year-old is facing, wondering why manslaughter wasn't among them. Police said they filed the charges that could get them a signed arrest warrant.

Hours after he passed away Tuesday evening, Henryk Gudelski's fiancée posted a tribute to him on her Facebook page, writing, in part, "The greatest love of my life, a great Pole and a patriot, has passed away."

A family friend started a Go Fund Me to defray funeral and burial expenses.

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