CUMBERLAND, Ind. — An Indianapolis man has been charged in relation to the fatal hit-and-run in Cumberland one week ago.
Joshua Raine faces one count of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death or catastrophic injury, a Level 4 felony, in connection with the Oct. 10 incident, according to court documents filed on Thursday in Marion County,
Earlier this week, 14-year-old Wilberto Rivera was pronounced dead after he was struck by a vehicle in Cumberland. Rivera was initially taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition, according to previous reports .
Family of hit-and-run victim pushing for change At around 10 p.m. on Oct. 10, officers with the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department and the Cumberland Police Department responded to a reported hit-and-run in the 1100 block of Cumberland Road. When officers arrived, they learned that a juvenile, later identified as Rivera, was struck while he was riding his bike on the road.
Two of Rivera’s friends who were walking in the grass on the west side of the road reportedly told police on the scene that Rivera was hit from behind by a black Chrysler driving south. The documents said several items from the vehicle were left at the scene, including a chrome-colored plastic piece with the car’s brand on it as well as a vanity license plate.
“In the area where the crash happened, there are no streetlights nor sidewalks and was not well it,” the documents said. “The roadway has one travel lane for north traffic and one for south traffic, and the speed limit is 40 miles per hour.”
During the investigation into the incident, officers used automatic license plate readers in the area and located a 2019 Chrysler 300 bearing the license plate “THEFAR” in the area around the time of the crash. The vehicle was registered to Raine, the documents allege.
The next day, Raine reported the accident to the Cumberland Police Department. Raine then met with IMPD officers at the department’s east district. The documents said that Raine told officers that he was traveling to work that night and was driving south on Cumberland Road.
The documents allege that Raine told officers he was listening to loud music when he “hit something.”
IMPD: Juvenile dead after hit-and-run in Cumberland “(Raine) said he looked in his rearview mirror after he slowed down but did not see anything and saw another vehicle behind him driving south which did not stop,” the documents said. “Assuming he hit a deer, Joshua Raine said he continued driving…”
When Raine got to work, he reportedly told officers that he saw the damage to his vehicle but did not call the police to report the incident. Raine then said he saw the news story of the crash involving Rivera and “realized he may have been driving the vehicle which hit the juvenile.”
“Joshua Raine was visibly upset during the interview and expressed his remorse for the incident;” the documents said, “he was adamant in saying he would have stopped if he knew he hit (Rivera).”
After a search of the vehicle, the documents said that investigators determined the Chrysler struck the 14-year-old with the middle of the front bumper.
According to court documents, prosecutors requested that Raine be held without bond for seven days “for the purpose of initiating a revocation of probation.” The documents read that Raine is currently on probation for residential entry, a Level 6 felony, and a misdemeanor count of battery resulting in bodily injury.
Heather Harvell, a family member of Rivera’s, previously told FOX59/CBS4 that she hopes that the driver will be held responsible.
“We have to do better, and I’m going to be a part of that to help do better, his family and all those people that showed up to the hospital,” Harvell said at the time. “We want better, not just for him, for anybody else that has to go through this.”
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