Police are investigating a pair of hit-and-run collisions reported in less than 24 hours and about a block apart from each other in San Jose.
One took the life of a 53-year-old man on Sunday night; police reported the pedestrian from a second accident was in critical condition on Tuesday morning.
The first collision occurred near a golf course on Sunday night that claimed the life of Son Honan Nguyen.
Officers responded at 9:51 p.m. to a call of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle in the area of Senter Road and Balfour Drive, located near the Los Lagos Golf Course, according to San Jose police.
Responding officers located a man in the street. Nguyen was transported to a hospital, where he died Monday morning.
Police said a preliminary investigation revealed Nguyen was crossing Senter Road, possibly on a bicycle, when he was struck by a black sedan.
The driver then fled the scene and remained at large.
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Nguyen's family is in shock and are upset the driver took off without helping him.
"You should turn yourself in, and what you did wasn't right," said Kai Lai, Nguyen's great niece. "Think about the person you hit -- his family, and who he has around him."
Another hit-and-run collision was reported Monday night and just a block from the incident that took Nguyen's life.
At about 8:15 p.m., officers responded to a report of a vehicle that struck a pedestrian in the area of Senter Road and Oldham Drive.
When officers arrived on scene they found a man down in the street. The victim was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Police first said on Tuesday that he had died, but then Sgt. Heather Randol clarified that the man was in critical condition.
Police said the suspect vehicle fled and did not return to the scene. But on Tuesday morning, police said a woman ended up turning herself in and was arrested. Police did not release her name or any more information.
"I heard a big bang. I turn over. I saw a guy flying over there," said Dan Tran, a witness who called 911 to report the hit-and-run collision. "I saw a white car took off."
The two collisions have residents questioning the safety in the area. Some said it's not easy to cross Senter Road as people try to reach a popular shopping plaza.
"So instead of these flicking lights, they should making signal lights," said Nimesh Kadakia, who witnessed both collisions. "So people can actually stop when people are driving. They really can’t see anybody."
Anyone with information about any of the hit-and-run collisions is asked to call the police department's traffic investigations unit at 408-277-4654. Callers wishing to remain anonymous can call 408-947-7867.
Bay City News Service contributed to this report.
