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Norristown man surrenders after police say he left the scene of a fatal hit-and-run

Norristown police on Saturday arrested Jean Carlos Esmeraldas Cruz, 26, on multiple charges related to leaving the scene of a fatal hit-and-run accident on Sunday, May 19.

FILE - Shown is a Philadelphia police car with flashing lights in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Police departments reported a year-over-year increase in sworn officers in 2023 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since the 2020 police killing of George Floyd spurred nationwide protests and increased scrutiny of police, according to a survey released by the Police Executive Research Forum. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
FILE - Shown is a Philadelphia police car with flashing lights in Philadelphia, Monday, Jan. 17, 2022. Police departments reported a year-over-year increase in sworn officers in 2023 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began and since the 2020 police killing of George Floyd spurred nationwide protests and increased scrutiny of police, according to a survey released by the Police Executive Research Forum. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)Read moreMatt Rourke / AP

A man surrendered to Norristown police Saturday morning after authorities said his vehicle struck and killed a pedestrian and he then left the scene last weekend.

Jean Carlos Esmeraldas Cruz, 26, of Norristown, was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe shortly before 11 p.m. May 19 when it struck Brian Clark, 57, also of Norristown, on West Main Street near Astor, according to Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele and Norristown Police Chief Jacqueline Bailey-Davis.

Clark was taken to a local hospital, where he died of multiple injuries. Police said a witness reported seeing a dark-colored SUV strike Clark, and that the car fled the scene at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was damaged in the front on the driver’s side.

By 1 p.m. Monday, the day after the accident, Norristown Police Detective Brian Saxon noticed a dark-colored SUV parked on East Wood Street, near Arch, with its left front side and windshield covered by a sheet. The car was registered to Jean Landscaping LLC.

Police got a search warrant and found a pay stub linking the driver of the car to an address on DeKalb Street, according to the affidavit on the arrest warrant.

In the affidavit, police said neighbors of the address told them neither Cruz, nor his family members, had been seen around their home since Monday. Police later interviewed the suspect’s employer, who told them Cruz had called to say he couldn’t report to work that Monday due to a “family emergency.”

Police efforts to contact Cruz at his home on the Tuesday after the accident were unsuccessful. A warrant was issued for Cruz’s arrest on Thursday.

After Cruz surrendered, he was charged with causing an accident involving death or personal injury, leaving the scene of an accident involving death or personal injury, operating a car without a proper license, and failing to stop and render aid, among other charges.

Cruz was arraigned Saturday on $100,000 cash bail. He faces a preliminary hearing June 7.