LAGUNA NIGUEL – Authorities arrested a man Sunday, Feb. 4 a year after he allegedly drove into a a bicyclist who was seriously injured in a hit-and-run.

Before 9 p.m. on Feb. 5, 2017, a bicyclist was struck by a vehicle at Niguel Road from Ridgeway Avenue in Laguna Niguel, sheriff’s spokeswoman Carrie Braun said in a statement.

The bicyclist suffered severe blunt-force trauma injuries causing him to lose mobility resulting in several months of rehabilitation, Braun said.

The driver fled.

The Sheriff’s Department later determined that the driver was Timothy Anthony Cronin, 53, of Laguna Niguel.

“It appeared to investigators that Cronin may have been on his way home from a Super Bowl party and may have been intoxicated when the incident occurred,” Braun said.

It took nearly a year to obtain evidence resulting in an arrest warrant issued Friday, sheriff’s Sgt. Brian Sims said.

Investigators determined Cronin is a New England Patriots fan and decided to arrest him before Sunday’s Super Bowl game, Sims said: “It was an opportunity to protect the community from one less potential subject who has demonstrated that he drinks on Super Bowl Sunday.”

Cronin was arrested leaving his residence Sunday morning on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and driving-under-the-influence. He was booked into the Orange County Jail and released on $50,000 bail.