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According to a press release from the Newport Beach Police Department, on Thursday, January 1, at 2:56 am, the Newport Beach Police Department’s Dispatch Center received a call that there was a person lying in the road on East Coast Highway at Newport Coast Drive.

Newport Beach Police and Fire Department personnel responded to the scene and found that the victim had suffered critical injuries as the result of being hit by a vehicle. The victim, identified by the Orange County Coroner as Travis Marton of Valencia, was declared deceased at the scene.

The Police Department immediately notified all on-duty personnel, along with nearby law enforcement agencies, of the fatal hit and run. Within 10 minutes of an alert being issued to nearby law enforcement agencies about a hit and run, a Laguna Beach officer came across a yellow cab van in the downtown area, which had extensive front end damage, said Laguna Beach police Capt. Jason Kravetz in a statement. The driver was pulled over and detained for further investigation. Newport Beach officers responded to the scene and ended up arresting the man for the hit and run death of the pedestrian, Kravetz said.

The suspect, Ronald Lloyd Aviles, 56, of San Clemente, was arrested for Felony Hit and Run and booked at the Newport Beach Police Department’s Jail Facility. His bail has been set at $50,000. Alcohol does not appear to be a contributing factor to Mr. Aviles’s actions.

The circumstances of the collision are still under investigation. Anyone with information regarding this collision is asked to contact Investigator Bill Hume at 949-644-3746 or [email protected] Visit NBPD.org for more info.