Man ID’d in second fatal hit-and-run in past week. CHP looking for leads in both cases
A pedestrian is dead after he was struck on Morgan Road in Ceres early Saturday morning. The driver fled the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Johnny Perez, 40, was identified as the pedestrian by the Stanislaus County Coroner’s Office.
The CHP received a traffic collision call at about 3:50 a.m. and when emergency personnel arrived, they found Perez lying in the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities have no description of the vehicle that struck Perez.
The CHP asked the public to be on the lookout for a vehicle with collision damage to its front fender and right front bumper. Other than that, the CHP said it didn’t have “any further identifying information” on the involved vehicle.
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is urged to call the CHP’s Merced Communication Center at 209-356-2900.
Two fatal hit-and-runs
Perez was the second fatal hit-and-run victim in the past week. On Wednesday, Jonathan McKnight was struck and killed on Highway 99 south of Taylor Road in Turlock.
He’d been struck several times by multiple vehicles, none of which stayed at the scene. As of Monday, the CHP said it still had no leads.
The CHP asked anyone with information regarding McKnight’s death to contact Officer Mitchell at 209-545-7440.
