Driver In Bensalem Hit-And-Run In Police Custody
By Steve Beck and Jericka Duncan
BENSALEM, Pa. (CBS) – Surveillance video shows how the life of a 71-year-old Bucks County man came to a terrifying end early Tuesday morning.
The deadly incident happened at about 6 a.m. on Knights Road at Dunksferry Road in Bensalem.
According to investigators, the striking vehicle was driving north on Knights Road at the intersection of Dunksferry Road when the accident happened.
After striking the 71-year-old pedestrian, who police say was walking to a bus stop from the nearby Creekside Apartments to catch his bus to work, investigators say the driver fled the scene. The pedestrian was pronounced dead.
"Just a coward, leaving somebody to die on the street at 6 a.m. and maybe that individual hearing this message will come forward and turn himself in, so we can some rest to this family," Bensalem Public Safety Director Fred Harran said on Tuesday morning.
The victim has been identified as Madanago Bakthavatchalu, a 71-year-old man who resided in the 2500 block of Knight Road in Bensalem. Officials say he moved to the area about two months ago, and his other relatives are from North Jersey.
Around 3:30 p.m., police announced that the driver of the striking vehicle, 40-year-old Mario Rodriguez-Morales, turned himself in. He is charged with Accidents Involving Death or Personal Injury (Felony 3) Involuntary Manslaughter (Misdemeanor 1) and various traffic summary offenses.
