Search On For Driver In Deadly NW Dade Hit And Run
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The search is on for a driver responsible for a deadly hit and run in northwest Miami-Dade.
Auguste Fritznel, 51, was attempting to cross NW 7th Avenue at 103rd Street when a vehicle traveling southbound struck him Sunday night.
His son, Fritznoe Auguste, came to the scene of the crash on Wednesday and told CBS4'S Peter D'Oench, "He was the only person I had. He was the best father and it was very sad that this happened and the person did not stop. My father was a human being. I can't believe I am not going to see him anymore. I can't sleep at night without him. This is very sad news," he said. "I just want justice for my father."
Surveillance video from a nearby business shows the driver did not stop after hitting Fritznel, did not render aid and did not call 911.
"This is a person. He was a person," said Bobby Sanders, who lives near where the accident happened. "It's sad. I don't know why he would keep going. I just don't know. He belonged to somebody."
"He was a very nice man. He was very kind and friendly," said Angelet Davin, a member of Fritznel's family.
She said he had three sons and was caring for one of them.
"It's very sad that someone would hit him like that and run over him and now the son is left with no father or mother," she said.
"I hope that anyone who saw something will say something," she said. "This is very important and this was so sad."
Sanders was in the area when the accident occurred. He said Fritznel was actually hit by two vehicles. The second vehicle, driven by a woman, did stop.
"I didn't see the initial hit but I know he must have been thrown up in the air. I heard a noise. I thought the lady lost a bumper and it flew up and then I realized it was a person," he said. "I saw the lady sitting there in the middle of the street and I look at her and saw the car.
On Wednesday, officers passed out flyers as the search for the vehicle that first hit Fritznel continued.
As officers distributed flyers, the story almost takes another tragic turn as officers say a woman driving on Northwest 7th Avenue struck and injured two women who were walking across the busy roadway.
Once again, fire rescue responded and the area was sealed off.
CBS4 obtained new surveillance tape of the two women being struck.
This happened just three days after Fritznel was struck as he was crossing the same road.
Investigators believe the vehicle that struck Fritznel first was a mid-2000s white Toyota Rav4 with tinted windows and a spare tire mounted on the back. It should have front-end damage and will be missing a light fixture on the front left side.
"Regrettably, 25-percent of all crashes every year in Florida involve a hit-and-run. It goes against the heart. It goes against what is moral. Everyone should stay at the scene and is required to stay at the scene and render aid. If someone wants to do the right thing, they should come forward," said Miami-Dade Police Detective Lee Coward. "It has been my experience that in some cases, they did not know that they had hit someone. If someone wants to come forward and explain this, now is the time to step up."
Anyone with information that can help should call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at (305) 471-TIPS (8477). There is a reward of up to $1,000 and callers will remain anonymous.
