Man, 72, Killed In Stockton Hit-And-Run Accident
STOCKTON (CBS13) - A 72-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run accident in Stockton Friday afternoon and the suspected driver has been arrested.
The accident happened at about 1:30 p.m. at Waterloo Road near Harding Way. The victim was crossing Waterloo when he was apparently hit by a blue Ford Explorer that left the scene, police said. He was taken to a local hospital but died from his injuries.
"I heard a big crack sound and looked over," said one witness.
A half hour after the accident, the registered owner of the Explorer, 25-year-old Frank Vito Spingolo Jr., contacted police to say his vehicle had been stolen, but witnesses to the accident identified Spingolo as the driver and he was arrested.
A witness says the sickening sound was like two vehicles colliding. Several witnesses stuck around to give police a good description of the vehicle and the suspect.
So when Spingolo met face-to-face with police, with what they say was a phony story about his SUV being ripped off, he walked right into an arrest.
"They immediately recognized him as the possible suspect in this deadly hit-and-run," said officer Joe Silva.
The Explorer was found parked nearby with a busted headlight and crumpled hood. On the back of the vehicle was a torn bumper sticker that read "get hit."
The name of the victim has not been released.
