Police seek driver of van involved in hit-and-run Ceres crash that killed pedestrian
Authorities are looking for the driver of a dark van involved in a hit-and-run crash that fatally injured a pedestrian Tuesday night in Ceres.
Ceres police officers were dispatched about 7:14 to the intersection of Mitchell Road and East Whitmore Avenue on a report of a crash involving an automobile and a motorcycle. They found a man lying in a northbound lane of Mitchell, just south of the intersection, according to a news release from the Police Department early Wednesday. He was determined to be a pedestrian.
The preliminary investigation determined that a dark van, possibly a Dodge, was northbound on Mitchell at an unknown speed and drove into the two-way center turning lane. It started passing vehicles that were stopped for the red light at Whitmore.
As the van drove in the turn lane, the pedestrian stepped into it and was hit. Witnesses told police the driver stopped, got out and appeared to look at what he’d struck. He then quickly left the area by driving across northbound lanes of Mitchell and turning east onto Whitmore, the release says.
The pedestrian, identified as Ceres resident Isaac Ishak, 56, was pronounced deceased at a local hospital.
Witnesses described the driver as a Latino man in his early 30s, thin with short hair, wearing a white tank top. They said the van has a shattered windshield and a missing passenger-side rearview mirror. At least one witness provided police with a photo of the van.
The Police Department’s Traffic Unit is investigating. Anyone with information about the crash or the location of the van is asked to contact Officer Freddie Ortiz at 209-538-5678.
This story was originally published September 30, 2020 at 7:02 AM.
