FHP: Missing 19-year-old killed in Orange County hit-and-run
ORLANDO, Fla. - A South Florida teenager reported missing in Orlando last week was the victim in a deadly hit-and-run, according to the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP).
Troopers said the driver who struck and killed 19-year-old son Anthony Mejias is still on the run. There was no sign of any damage left at the scene near Orange Avenue at Prince Street in Pine Castle. Investigators are now gathering and combing through surveillance camera footage recorded by businesses in the area around 2:30 a.m. on the morning of Friday, April 2.
The teenager's mother, Vivan Blanco, had been desperately searching for her son Anthony Mejias.
"He’s nowhere to be found," she told FOX 35's Valerie Boey on Tuesday.
Troopers said Mejias was located in the roadway and transported to a nearby hospital.
"We did not know that this person who was unidentified the night of the crash was somebody’s son, that they were frantically looking for a missing person," explained FHP Lt Kim Montes.
Blanco said her son took a bus on Thursday, from Tallahassee to Ft. Lauderdale to spend Easter weekend with them.There was a 15-minute layover at a bus station in Orlando, but during that time, she said he was seen on surveillance camera sleeping and without his phone or skateboard. She said she was told he could not get on his next bus, because he needed an ID which was with his phone that was left on the bus.
Blanco believes Anthony tried looking for another ride. Lt. Montes said an Orange County deputy discovered him about 1.5 miles away.
"Around 2:28 in the morning, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office received a call that there was a pedestrian stumbling in the roadway that appeared to be hurt."
When deputies arrived, they said they discovered the teenager lying in the road, unconscious. He later died at the hospital. Investigators said they tried taking fingerprints but still could not identify him.
"A lot of times, when we have people that do not have ID on them and they’re victims of a crash and they’re unconscious and can’t tell us who they are, we go to the next step which is fingerprinting," Montes added. "No fingerprints came back for him."
His body was identified by his mother Wednesday at the medical examiner’s office.
As investigators search for the driver in this fatal crash, a family mourns the loss of a loved one.
"To find out that nobody even bothered to stay at the scene that struck him, we need to give her some answers. We need the public’s help on this," Montes said.
If you witnessed what happened at Orange Avenue and Prince Street or have any information about this incient, call Crimeline at 800-423-TIPS (8477).
Tune in to FOX 35 Orlando for the latest Central Florida news.