Police locate vehicle involved in deadly Fort Myers hit-and-run, still looking for driver

Reporter: Taylor Petras Writer: Drew Hill
Published: Updated:
This black car was involved ina hti and ru on Saturday night in Fort Myers
Credit: Fort Myers Police Department

A pedestrian has died as a result of a hit-and-run crash. This happened in Fort Myers just after 9:45 p.m. on Saturday night. The car has since been found.

According to the Fort Myers Police Department,  a man with a walker was attempting to cross Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard when he was hit by a vehicle. This was near the intersection of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Hendry Street.

The tipped-over walker was all that was left after the crash.

The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The victim has been identified as Michael Raducanu. He is a 59-year-old man from Fort Myers.

Trish Routte works with Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers. “This gentleman died on the side of the road because of somebody’s cowardice,” Routte said.

The driver left the scene but, luckily, a nearby surveillance camera got a good look at the car. FMPD describes it as a black 2012 Infinity hardtop convertible. There is front-end damage to the car and the car’s windshield is completely missing. Plus, there is damage to the passenger-side mirror.

The license plate for this car is said to be RVC0C. Investigators say the car is registered to an address in Cape Coral.

Dr. Martin Luter King Blvd was blocked in both directions for several hours as a result of the crash.

The car was seen traveling southbound on I-75 toward Collier County. FMPD believes the car could’ve been headed towards Naples or Lely at approximately 11:35 p.m. on Saturday. Fort Myers PD announced on Monday that the car was located in Naples and seemed to be abandoned.

The car was abandoned along Immokalee Road, according to FMPD. This vehicle is now in the custody of the police.

Investigators say they still need to find out who was in the driver’s seat during this wreck. “Who owns the car is one thing, but the person literally behind the wheel, the person who killed this individual and kept driving, that’s who we want to talk to,” Routte said.

“They need to be held accountable. You cannot just commit that type of a crime and just leave and think that nothing is going to happen to you,” said Routte.

WINK News did reach out to the victim’s son. He was emotional and says his family is grieving so they were not available for an interview.

WINK News asked crash investigators if the car could’ve been stolen, considering the fact that it was abandoned in Collier County. But, no one responded to our inquiry.

If you have any information about this case, you are being asked to call Fort Myers Police at (239) 321-7700 or SWFL Crime Stoppers at (800) 780-TIPS (8477).

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