Motorcyclist killed in Dormont hit-and-run crash remembered as talented musician and good friend
DORMONT, Pa. (KDKA) — Family and friends of a man killed in a hit-and-run crash over the weekend in Dormont are remembering the victim as a kind and creative person.
Christian Sluka died on Saturday after being hit by the driver of a vehicle near the intersection of Pioneer and West Liberty avenues in Dormont just before 11 p.m.
According to people who knew him, the 23-year-old Sluka was a lovely young man, a talented musician and a good friend.
"He was the best person i knew in my entire life, and he was the greatest role model I had," the victim's cousin, Noah Goisse, said.
These are the words of a broken-hearted Goisse, who said his cousin was so much more than a victim of a horrific accident.
"His family struggled for a long time," Goisse said. "And being the older brother to three siblings, he really had to pick up all the pieces and show them what kind of man they should be."
Sluka was killed when police said Saul Rivera-Ramirez, behind the wheel of a Ford Taurus, slammed into him. Sources said Rivera-Ramirez is an undocumented worker.
According to the criminal complaint, he abandoned the car after the accident and walked from the scene with his wife and two children. Sluka was taken to UPMC Mercy Hospital, where he died. Funeral arrangements for Sluka are pending.
For Goisse, Sluka's life ended in tragedy, but it's how he lived that matters most, including his gift for music.
"I've never met or played with someone in my entire life who had such an interesting feel for music and understood art in a complex and beautiful way like he did. You could tell it was coming from his soul," Goisse said.
Rivera-Ramirez is at the Allegheny County Jail without bond. He faces multiple charges, including homicide by motor vehicle.
The last time Goisse saw his friend was Saturday night, as Sluka rode off into the night on his motorcycle.
"As I was walking down the street with a couple of friends, he drove by, honked, waved and that was the last I saw of him," he said.