Man, 62, struck, killed in hit and run

A 62-year-old Madera man was struck and killed by a yet-to-be identified vehicle as he walked on the northbound on-ramp of State Route 99 at Avenue 12, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The victim in the fatal hit-and-run incident has been identified by authorities as Donald Franco Ruiz, Sr.

The CHP began receiving calls from motorists at 4:30 am Monday morning regarding a man down and lying in the roadway about 900 feet up the Avenue 12 ramp, according to public information officer Greg Rodriguez.

“Other motorists stopped but there were no witnesses to the impact. We are checking security cameras in the area and are looking for any further information from the public on this incident. The suspect vehicle would have likely been (commuting northbound) from this surrounding area, and would have continued northbound on to State Route 99. The vehicle will also likely have some front or side damage. We are analyzing and attempting to identify the plastic parts and other pieces that were found at the scene, “ Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez said it was not known what Ruiz was doing walking on the Avenue 12 on-ramp at that early morning hour and no abandoned vehicles were found in the immediate area. Toxicology reports are pending, according to Rodriguez, and Ruiz may have also been homeless and living in the surrounding area.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call the Madera office of the California Highway Patrol at 675-1025.