Suspect arrested after deadly hit-and-run between bicyclists
A suspect has been arrested in a hitand-run crash that killed a man, in a collision involving three bicyclists on the Guadalupe River Trail in North San Jose on Thursday, authorities said.
San Jose police Sgt. Enrique Garcia said the collision was reported just before 5 p.m. on the trail beneath Tasman Drive.
An initial investigation found that the suspect was riding a bicycle southbound on the trail when he collided with a 61-yearold man and a 59-year-old woman riding bicycles in the opposite direction, Garcia said.
Garcia said the suspect left the scene and the two victims were taken to a hospital, where the man was pronounced dead a short time later. The woman’s injuries were described as not life-threatening.
The deceased man was identified by authorities as San Jose resident Tom Fawcett.
The suspect was depicted in a photo taken by a witness that showed him wearing a black jersey with the number 52 on it and shorts. Around 2 p.m. Friday, he was located and arrested, police said. He was identified as 27-yearold Antonio Bolanos, who did not have a listed city of residence.
In a news release Friday, San Jose police Officer Gina Tepoorten said police received several tips from the public after releasing the suspect’s photo.
Garcia said the suspect’s decision to flee turned what would typically be treated as an accident into a serious criminal case, noting that Bolanos will be booked on suspicion of felony hitand-run and manslaughter.
“This suspect had a legal obligation to stop, and a moral obligation to render aid or call 911,” Garcia said. “Instead, he chose to flee the scene. He had a choice to make, and he made the wrong choice.”
Garcia said the investigation and accounts from the scene indicate the suspect was coming downhill and not in his designated lane, which was indicated by paint on the pathway. He added that the collision occurred at a wide portion of the trail.
It was the second fatal bicycle-to-bicycle collision in San Jose in as many weeks. Last week, a 40-year-old man died of injuries sustained in a May 15 crash with another bicyclist on the Guadalupe River Trail near Julian Street.
Garcia said with shelter-in-place orders still in effect, more pedestrian and bike traffic has been seen on city trails, increasing the need for people using the trails to act safely.
The death marks San Jose’s 22nd traffic fatality and second bicycle fatality of 2020.
Anyone with information about the case can contact San Jose police Detective Mike O’Brien at 408-277-4654, or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-7867 or at svcrimestoppers.org.