EAST HAVEN — An arrest has been made in a January hit-and-run incident that injured a 10-year-old pedestrian in a crosswalk on Main Street.
On Jan. 14 at approximately 3:59 p.m., East Haven police and firefighters responded to 655 Main St. for a report of a pedestrian struck.
Officers determined that a 2018 Honda HR-V struck the child in a crosswalk before fleeing through the parking lot of the address and exiting onto Eastbound Frontage Road.
Witnesses attempted to intervene but were unsuccessful in stopping the vehicle.
Both witnesses and the juvenile victim told Officer Tyler Pelham that the driver did not stop or slow down after the collision.
The child was treated at the scene by East Haven firefighters before being taken to Yale New Haven Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
Video surveillance confirmed that the Honda HR-V struck the child in front of multiple witnesses, one of whom was seen waving his hands while chasing the vehicle on foot.
Officers identified the vehicle and contacted its registered owner, Serafin Reyes Viera, 69, of Lombard Street in New Haven.
Reyes Viera, who matched the description of the driver, told police he had cut through the parking lot of 655 Main St. around 3:30 p.m. but did not recall striking a pedestrian.
After an investigation, police obtained an arrest warrant, and arrangements were made for Reyes Viera to turn himself in.
He has been charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian and evading responsibility resulting in injury.
Reyes Viera was released on a $2,500 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 26 at G.A. 23, 121 Elm St. in New Haven.
