ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — The parents of a man who died Saturday night after a hit and run on Federal Boulevard near 54th Avenue are asking the public for help finding the person responsible.
According to the Colorado State Patrol, just before midnight on Saturday, 26-year-old Jonathan Michael Fanter was riding his scooter in the northbound lanes on Federal Boulevard when he fell off the scooter and into the street.
CSP said the driver of a white Dodge Ram pickup truck hit Fanter and dragged him before driving away from the scene.
“He didn't even get all the way up to the light where we’re supposed to stop completely before they hit him and then drug him for so long,” sais Brandy Manzi, Fanter’s stepmother.
Manzi said Fanter was taken to the hospital where he died early Sunday morning.
She said the incident happened just yards away from the home she shares with Fanter’s father, Gregory Manzi.
“I just want... to let the public know that my son was somebody. He did have people who cared about him. He’s survived by a 2-year-old son, a brother, me, and my wife,” Gregory Manzi said.
Gregory Manzi said witnesses told him Fanter’s helmet was stuck underneath the truck before the driver pulled over, grabbed the helmet, and threw it into a nearby parking lot.
“Somebody gave me my son's helmet. (It) was found in the parking lot of the Advanced Auto Parts next door to where I live,” he said. “I contacted the State Patrol last night and told them about it.”
Gregory Manzi said he is also hoping surveillance cameras from nearby businesses can provide evidence.
“I went to the corner where he was headed and I went to that tire shop and talked to the two gentlemen there. They said their camera is not working. Later, I’m heading to Advance Auto Parts, telling them who I am and seeing if I can check their video too,” he said.
Colorado State Patrol said the investigation into the fatal hit and run is ongoing and anyone with any information should contact their dispatch center at 303-239-4501.