Police say a man in his 50s died after he was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene while he was crossing the street on Lewis Avenue in Waukegan Friday evening.
The Waukegan Police Department and Waukegan Fire Department responded around 8:05 p.m. Friday to the area of Lewis Avenue and Harding Avenue for a report of a man down call.
A passerby called 911 to report the discovery, according to Waukegan Deputy Police Chief Scott Chastain.
Officers arrived and found a critically injured pedestrian who had been struck by a vehicle.
Officers began performing CPR on the unresponsive man until paramedics arrived.
Chastain said paramedics transported the 54-year-old male victim to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Lake County Major Crash Assistance Team (MCAT) responded to conduct an investigation and process the scene.
The driver of the vehicle, later identified as Rosario Fernandez, 33, of Waukegan, had fled the scene, Chastain said.
Fernandez was driving a 2020 Hyundai Accent on Lewis Avenue when she struck the male victim, who was crossing the street.
Chastain said Fernandez later called police to report she had hit someone. Detectives conducted an interview with her.
She said she did not stop at the scene because she was scared, so she drove home.
Fernandez later admitted to drinking alcohol prior to the crash, Chastain said.
MCAT investigators were investigating her for driving under the influence.
Fernandez was charged with felonies, including leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death and failure to report a crash resulting in death.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office filed a petition to detain Fernandez pending trial and she is set to appear for a detention hearing on Monday afternoon.
The Lake County Coroner’s Office has not yet released the identity of the victim, who is a resident of Waukegan. An autopsy was scheduled for Monday morning.