A Waukegan man has been charged in the New Year’s Day hit-and-run death of a North Chicago woman, Waukegan police said Monday.
Victor Rivas-Martinz, 22, has been charged with failure to remain at the scene of an accident, no valid driver’s license, no insurance and failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, authorities said.
Police said he was driving the car that struck and killed Tiffany Thomas, 44, in the early morning hours of Jan. 1 near the intersection of Lewis Avenue and Jenkinson Court. Officers who responded found Thomas in the road, along with pieces of the vehicle that struck her.
Waukegan police said that although the vehicle involved left the area, authorities were able to identify it as a 2003 Toyota sedan.
Detectives located the vehicle on Jan. 2, and said the car had damage consistent with the evidence at the scene. Rivas-Martinez told police that he had hit a raccoon, but police said the vehicle damage was not consistent with his account.
