SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio police have arrested a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run that happened earlier this year on the West Side.
Records show Marc Joel Mendez, 41, was charged with failure to stop and render aid resulting in death.
An arrest warrant affidavit states Mendez was the driver in a truck that struck a pedestrian , identified as Mario Bulger, 47, just before 1 a.m. on March 5 in the 8200 block of Culebra Road.
Bulger was taken to the hospital, where he died shortly after.
Investigators said they arrived at the scene and found clear plastic pieces from a vehicle scattered on the road. There was no roadway evidence of breaking or swerving, police said.
One witness told officers that they heard the impact and saw a white truck driving away from the area.
Hours after the crash, another witness came forward and told officers that they were with Mendez at the time of the incident.
The witness, who was a passenger in the truck, said they had just left a bar and were headed to another bar, the affidavit states. While on the way, Mendez allegedly struck an object on the road but did not turn around to check, police said.
Mendez did pull over further down the road to inspect his truck, a white 2015 GMC Sierra, police said. The witness said they noticed the truck’s right headlight had been damaged.
Police later interviewed Mendez, and he told officers that he hit “something” while driving on Culebra Road but then became uncooperative.
Investigators impounded his GMC truck and found the headlight damage was consistent with striking a pedestrian, police said. The debris left on the roadway also matched the missing parts of the headlight.
The affidavit states that cellphone records placed Mendez near the site of the incident.
A warrant for his arrest was signed on Aug. 25, records show. He was arrested Tuesday and his bond is set at $75,000.
Read also: