Witness tried to chase down driver who hit and killed man: 'This person just doesn't care'

Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Witness recalls chasing driver who hit and killed man in NE Harris Co.
Not only did she try to track down the driver, but she went back to the victim, called 911 and stayed with him for hours.

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A small memorial now sits on the side of C.E. King Parkway near Tidwell to remember the life that was taken on June 5.

Alex Cerda, 37, was a son, brother and uncle who loved to ride his bike. He was walking alongside his bike on the roadway when he was hit by an SUV, but the driver never stopped to check on him.

Now, the only eyewitness to the homicide is another driver who asked to remain anonymous.

"This is a human being," the witness told ABC13.

SEE ALSO: Bicyclist killed in hit-and-run remembered with ghost bike at crime scene in northeast Harris County

She was driving into an early shift at work when she saw Cerda walking next to his bike, she slowed down to check on him. He waved her on, but within seconds she says another driver slammed into the pedestrian.

"All I hear (was) a big bump and when I look I saw his body fall under the SUV," she said.

She says that instead of stopping, the SUV took off and her instincts took over.

"I need to get this person's plate number, so I followed the vehicle," she said. "Even honking my horn like, 'Stop! Stop! You hit somebody.'"

The SUV driver got away and all she got was a picture showing tail lights in the distance.

"There's people who just don't care and that's what happened with (Cerda), this person just doesn't care," she said.

Cerda died at the scene, but he was not alone. The eyewitness turned around, called 911, and stayed on the scene for hours.

Police said they are now looking for a dark-colored SUV, with heavy front-end damage. If you know anything about this fatal hit and run call Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).

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