Man reportedly hit teen on bike, drove with him on roof for 4 miles, pushed him off, and left

AVON, Conn. (TCN) -- A 29-year-old man is in custody for allegedly hitting a teen who was riding his bicycle, driving with him on the roof for several miles, then pushing him off before driving away.

According to a statement, on Oct. 4 at 9:16 p.m., a passerby contacted the Avon Police Department to report debris in the street near Arch Road and Security Drive. Officers arrived at the scene and found a damaged bicycle, candy, and a cellphone, which led them to determine someone on their bike had been struck by a car in a hit-and-run.

Not long after that, a second person called police and said they found an injured juvenile on the side of the road.

Police allege the victim, a high school sophomore, was hit by a Subaru Forester on Arch Road. Then, the victim was "trapped on the roof of the vehicle and carried a distance of over four miles." When the driver got to Harris Road, he reportedly "stopped to push the juvenile off the roof and continue on his way."

Two witnesses reportedly saw the Subaru on the side of the road and when it came back into the lane, the car started swerving "erratically around them." The witnesses went back to the area where the car pulled over and located the victim.

Police identified the driver as Alex Joel Rivera and arrested him on charges of first-degree reckless endangerment, evading responsibility — serious physical injury, operating a motor vehicle without a license, and two counts of risk of injury to a child. He could face additional charges.

Court documents cited by WFSB-TV report Rivera claimed the teenager, 16-year-old Liam Shields, "came out of nowhere." He allegedly thought the victim "rolled off" the car after he hit him.

Two children and the car's owner were reportedly in the Subaru when it struck Shields. The court documents allege Rivera said he did not want to go to jail because he was afraid of losing custody of his daughter.

Police said Shields is in critical condition at Hartford Hospital.