Ferry passenger's tip leads to arrest in fatal hit-and-run on Vancouver Island
Comox Valley RCMP seek photos of damaged vehicle in Nanaimo ferry lineup
A tip from a ferry passenger led RCMP on Vancouver Island to an arrest in a fatal hit and run investigation yesterday.
An 18-year-old man was struck and killed while walking along highway 19A early Tuesday morning.
Constable Rob Gardner of the Comox Detachment said a 29-year-old man was arrested yesterday in the Lower Mainland.
The highway north of the Merville General Store was closed for about 10 hours as police conducted their investigation.
But it was a ferry passenger who heard about the crash on social media that led to a break in the case.
A passenger on the Departure Bay-to-Horseshoe Bay ferry noticed a vehicle with a lot of front-end damage, Gardner said.
The passenger had just read about the fatal accident on social media, and called police, "just in case."
"They didn't have much to go on," Gardner said. "We hadn't had a chance to release any information about the vehicle we were looking for at that point."
The damaged vehicle was located after the ferry docked. The driver was arrested and is expected to face charges of criminal negligence causing death and failing to remain at the scene of an accident, according to Gardner.
RCMP are now appealing for any photos of the damaged vehicle at the Nanaimo ferry terminal.
"While the vehicle was parked at the Departure Bay ferry terminal, we believe that there were several photographs taken of this vehicle," he said.
Comox RCMP are asking anyone with photos of the damaged car in the Departure Bay ferry lineup to send them to [email protected]
"If you have a photograph of this, if you saw this vehicle, the damage is apparently quite obvious on this vehicle," Gardner said. "And that's what we're looking for."
The 18-year-old man killed in the crash has not been identified.
With files from Megan Thomas.