Man killed in hit-and-run crash on Occidental Road

Police are looking for the driver of a small white sedan they believe struck and killed a pedestrian who was crossing a road in west Santa Rosa on Saturday night.

The man, whose name is being withheld pending notification of his family, was hit near the intersection of Stony Point and Occidental roads. He was not in a crosswalk, police said.

A passing motorist came upon his body in the street in front of Round Table Pizza on Occidental Road and called 911 about ?9:20 p.m., Santa Rosa Police Sgt. Summer Gloeckner said.

The victim, who police believe is homeless, was dead when emergency crews got to the scene.

No one witnessed the man being hit. But surveillance video picked up by Round Table Pizza showed a small white car stopped by the body for 10 to 20 seconds.

“The car goes around the body, cuts through the Round Table parking lot and goes out the other exit and takes off. We believe based on the video that the car is the car that struck the victim,” Gloeckner said. “They obviously know what happened and took off.”

It appears the victim was either pushed or thrown several hundred feet from the point of impact. He was discovered near the driveway of Round Table Pizza.

The motorist fled west on Occidental Road, leaving a trail of leaking fluid, police said. Officers checked surrounding neighborhoods but didn’t find a car matching the description of the car on the video. It possibly had a spoiler on the back and should have major front-end damage, Gloeckner said.

Investigators are seeking more surveillance video from other businesses near the collision site.

Both eastbound and westbound lanes on Occidental Road just west of Stony Point were closed for several hours while police investigated Saturday night’s fatal hit-and-run.

Anyone with information related to the collision should call the Santa Rosa Police Department’s non-emergency line at 707-543-3636 or Officer Ken Ferrigno at 707-543-4108.

Staff Writer Meg McConahey can be reached at 707-521-5204 or meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com.