A fugitive accused of hitting an 11-year-old boy riding a bicycle with a work van and fleeing the scene, leaving the boy in critical condition, was arrested in Winthrop Harbor Saturday night, authorities said.
The crash happened around 6:36 p.m. Friday in the 1500 block of North Port Washington Road in the Town of Grafton, Wisconsin.
The 11-year-old boy was riding a bicycle when he was struck by a white 2013 Ford Econoline work van as it exited a residential area, the Ozaukee County Sheriff’s Office said.
David J. Sitar, 37, of Grafton, Wisconsin, is suspected of driving the Ford and allegedly left the scene shortly after the crash, the sheriff’s office said.
Ozaukee County court records list Sitar’s address in the same block of North Port Washington Road.
The boy was hospitalized in critical condition, according to the sheriff’s office.
Investigators located and recovered the Ford but Sitar’s whereabouts remained unknown.
The sheriff’s office asked the public Saturday afternoon for help finding Sitar and said investigators believed he may be in the Kenosha area and may be relying on family, friends or rideshare services for transportation.
Sitar had active felony warrants through the sheriff’s office in connection with the crash, along with an active warrant through the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Rideshare drivers and others who may have recently transported him were encouraged to report any information to investigators.
Sitar was taken into custody around 9:35 p.m. Saturday in Winthrop Harbor, just south of the Wisconsin state line, the sheriff’s office said in an update.
The Winthrop Harbor Police Department, Zion Police Department, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Office, Pleasant Prairie Police Department and Wisconsin Department of Corrections assisted with the investigation and Sitar’s apprehension.
Sitar was formally charged Monday with first-degree reckless injury, a Class D felony, along with knowingly operating a motor vehicle without a valid license causing great bodily harm, a Class I felony, and hit-and-run involving great bodily harm, a Class E felony.
All three counts carry a habitual criminality repeater enhancement, which is a Wisconsin modifier for repeat offenders, according to court records.
Sitar was transported to the Lake County Jail and appeared for a First Appearance Court hearing on Sunday morning on the Wisconsin warrants.
Sitar waived extradition before Lake County Judge Gabriel Conroe, who appointed the Lake County Public Defender’s Office to represent him and ordered Sitar held on no bond in the Lake County Jail.
Ozaukee County Judge Steven Cain issued a warrant for Sitar’s arrest Monday when the criminal complaint was filed, court records show.
Wisconsin Department of Corrections records list Sitar as on active community supervision with a status of absconded.
The department issued a warrant for Sitar’s arrest for a probation violation in April 2025.
Sitar pleaded guilty in February 2024 in Ozaukee County to physical abuse of an elder person intentionally causing bodily harm, criminal damage to property and disorderly conduct, court records show.
Sitar was convicted in Kenosha County in February 2010 of criminal damage to property, battery and disorderly conduct, according to Department of Corrections records.
He was convicted again in Kenosha County in March 2011 of hit-and-run, possession of THC and battery.
Sitar was admitted to the Dodge Correctional Institution as a probation violator in July 2011 and later held at the Fox Lake Correctional Institution before being released on extended supervision in February 2015.
“The coordination among all involved agencies was instrumental in locating the suspect and taking him into custody,” the sheriff’s office said.
“We would also thank the public for their assistance for sharing our news release. Your support helps us keep our communities safe,” the sheriff’s office added.
An update on the boy’s condition was not immediately available.
Sitar is scheduled to appear in Lake County Circuit Court again on October 9 for an extradition status hearing.