Eight months since a speeding driver caused a three-vehicle crash and left one of the victims to die after her car burst into flames, an arrest has been made, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office.
The Sheriff's Office had issued alerts for Alexander Rivera-Russo, 24, after identifying him in the Jan. 2 crash that killed 27-year-old Savana Pendarvis on University Boulevard. The three-vehicle crash happened at about 3:15 p.m. near Atlantic Boulevard.
Witnesses said the driver of a Dodge Challenger was going over 100 mph and struck the victim’s Nissan, causing it to spin out and hit a utility pole and catch fire. The Challenger went into oncoming traffic where it struck a Toyota Camry, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
The driver of the
Challenger took off on foot without calling for help or rendering aid, the Sheriff’s Office said.
Witnesses provided descriptions of him and detectives determined the car’s registration owner was a woman, but it wasn't stolen.
"The case was in danger of going cold with a lack of leads. However, they kept working to find him," the Sheriff's Office said. "... But today, his luck ran out. We tracked him down to a home in the Oakleaf area of Clay County. With the help of our partners at the Clay County Sheriff's Office, we arrested Rivera-Russo."
The Sheriff's Office said he will face a number of charges, including leaving the scene of a deadly accident. Others also may be arrested for helping him hide.
A GoFundMe set up for the family of Pendarvis.
It described her as having “a radiant smile that outshone her golden ringlets. She was full of life — a recent college graduate, dreaming of a career in human resources, fresh from her first trip to Europe, and excited for her cousin’s wedding and more adventures.”
Pendarvis lost her mother at age 5 and was raised by her grandmother, the GoFundMe states. In recent years, she became her grandmother’s caretaker who was preparing for breast cancer surgery.
Scott Butler has been an editor/reporter specializing in public safety coverage for 26 years with The Florida Times-Union. He can be reached at sbutler@jacksonville.com.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Elusive hit-and-run suspect nabbed in death of Jacksonville woman
