HILMAR — A 64-year-old pedestrian was struck and killed late Friday night by a suspected drunk driver who fled the scene, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The crash occurred around 11:22 p.m. on Sept. 5 near the intersection of State Route 165 (Lander Avenue) and Third Street in Hilmar, CHP Merced spokesman Officer Eric Zuniga said. Witnesses reported that a dark-colored Chevrolet Silverado traveling southbound at a high rate of speed hit the man and continued driving without stopping.

Emergency responders arrived shortly after and pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene.

A BOLO (Be On the Look Out) alert was issued, and approximately 20 minutes later, a CHP sergeant in Los Banos located a 2019 Chevrolet Silverado with front-end damage traveling southbound on SR-165 near Henry Miller Avenue. The driver, identified as Angel Ortega, 40, of Los Banos, was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run and driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs.

Investigators determined that Ortega had been speeding southbound on SR-165 when the pedestrian attempted to cross the roadway heading west. The man appeared to notice the oncoming vehicle and tried to run across the lanes but was struck by the front of the truck and thrown onto the east shoulder of the highway.

Ortega was booked into Merced County Jail on charges of murder, felony DUI, and felony hit-and-run. The investigation remains ongoing, and it is not yet known whether drugs or alcohol were a factor for the pedestrian.

“This traffic crash is still under investigation,” Zuniga said. “The California Highway Patrol wants to remind everyone that all DUI crashes are preventable. Driving impaired is a choice that puts lives in danger. It’s not worth the risk, the consequences, or the lives that could be lost. Don’t drink and drive. Ever.”