AVON, Conn. — The driver arrested for the hit-and-run of a young bicyclist on Friday allegedly drove over four miles with the bicyclist trapped on the roof of his car before pushing him off, according to Avon police.
Alex Joel Rivera faces multiple charges including reckless endangerment in the first degree, evading responsibility for serious physical injury, operating a vehicle without a license, and two counts of risk of injury to a child.
The bicyclist, a 10th-grade student at Avon High School, is currently being treated at Hartford Hospital and is in critical condition. A GoFundMe set up for his recovery can be found here.
Avon High School Boys Soccer is also hosting a fundraiser for the student at Puerto Vallarta on Monday. More information can be found here.
On Oct. 4, around 9:15 p.m., Avon police said they responded to a call reporting debris on the roadway near Arch Road and Security Drive.
Officers said they found a damaged bike, loose pieces of candy, and a cellphone in the roadway. Investigators determined that a vehicle hit a bicyclist and then took off from the scene, police said.
Police said the bicyclist was not immediately found, leading them to close the roadway temporarily to investigate.
Shortly after, police received a second call about a vehicle that hit a pedestrian near 73 Harris Road.
According to police, the victim’s identity matched the bicyclist involved in the hit-and-run earlier on Arch Road.
Investigators learned that a Subaru Forester hit the bicyclist near Arch Road and continued traveling over four miles to Harris Road with the youth trapped on the roof of the SUV, police said.
The driver, later identified as Rivera, stopped to push the bicyclist off the roof and then took off, according to police.
Two good Samaritans driving by on Harris Road witnessed the Subaru pull over and take off, police said. Feeling that "something was wrong," they returned to the scene and found the injured youth on the side of the road.
The Samaritans called 911 and provided aid to the youth along with Avon police until AMR brought the youth to Hartford Hospital.
Police identified the vehicle involved and then located and arrested the driver who was identified as Rivera. He appeared in Hartford Superior Court on Monday.
The North Central Municipal Accident Reconstruction team continues to investigate the incident.
HERE ARE MORE WAYS TO GET FOX61 NEWS
Download the FOX61 News APP
Apple App Store: Click here to download
Google Play: Click here to download
Stream Live on ROKU: Add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching FOX61.
Steam Live on FIRE TV: Search ‘FOX61’ and click ‘Get’ to download.