Bucks DA seeks information in volunteer firefighter’s hit-and-run death
Daniel Santiago, 53, was struck and killed as he rode his bicycle Tuesday along Route 13 in Bristol Township.
Days after a Bristol volunteer firefighter was fatally struck and left for dead on a highway in Bucks County, investigators are asking the public for help in identifying the driver who hit him.
Daniel Santiago, 53, was riding his bike on the shoulder of Route 13 in Bristol Township early Tuesday when the crash occurred, according to District Attorney Matthew Weintraub. A passerby saw Santiago’s body and called police just before 1 a.m., but there were no witnesses to the crash.
Santiago had severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics. His bicycle, which family members and friends said he often rode around the township, was found next to him, badly damaged as if struck by a vehicle.
“Plain and simple: We need your help,” Weintraub said in a statement. “If you saw, know, or heard anything about this or if you were involved, please report this.”
Santiago was a longtime member of Goodwill Hose Company #3 in Bristol, Weintraub said. In a GoFundMe set up to raise money for funeral expenses, Santiago’s relatives said he took immense joy in serving his community.
“Yesterday we were reminded how short life really is,” the fund-raiser’s organizer, Jessica Torres, wrote. “Take a minute to take a photo, answer that call/text or just a simple hug to tell them you love them, because you never know when it will be your last.”
Weintraub said the vehicle involved in the crash likely suffered “significant front-end damage.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Bristol Township Police Sgt. C.J. Winik or Officer Pat Kitchenman at 267-812-3053.