Man turned himself into police after deadly hit-and-run crash in Norristown last weekend

A man is in police custody after turning himself into police in connection to a deadly hit-and-run crash that happened last weekend in Norristown, police said.

26-year-old Jean Carlos Esmeraldas Cruz was driving a Hyundai Sante Fe along the 300 block of West Main Street when he hit Brian Clark, 57, on Sunday, May 19, around 10:45 p.m., officials said.

Police responded to the scene and found Clark suffering from multiple injuries and in cardiac arrest. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Norristown Police and Montgomery County detectives obtained surveillance video showing a dark-colored SUV with a non-functioning headlight and damage to the windshield consistent with striking a pedestrian, investigators said. On Monday, May 20, Norristown Police located a black Hyundai Santa Fe on East Wood Street.

The vehicle was covered with a sheet to cover the damage to its left front end and windshield, investigators said. Police also found human hair within the damaged windshield. Detectives also located surveillance video that showed two men exiting the damaged Santa Fe and returning to cover up the vehicle with a sheet, investigators said.

Detectives located the passenger of the vehicle and identified the driver as 26-year-old Jean Carlos Emeraldas Cruz of Norristown. Investigators said Cruz was driving the Santa Fe eastbound on Main Street on May 19 when he struck Clark and then fled at a high speed down Main Street before turning on Markley Street.

After fleeing the scene, the two returned to Cruz's apartment where he told his girlfriend about what happened, police said. A little while later is when they took a sheet from a bedroom and returned to the car to cover it up.

Cruz and his passenger then returned to the crash scene on foot and spotted detectives investigating, police said. Cruz then fled the scene, according to investigators.

After police found the covered car, Cruz told the person who had been riding as a passenger during the crash that Cruz needed to leave with his girlfriend and their kids, investigators said.

The passenger allegedly told investigators that Cruz screamed and tried to stop the vehicle but was unsuccessful, leading to the crash that killed Clark. Cruz then told the passenger that he did not have a driver's license.

Detectives tried to contact Cruz on Wednesday, but neighbors told them that they had not seen Cruz, his girlfriend or their children for a couple of days, officials said. Neighbors explained that this was unusual. An arrest warrant was issued for Cruz on May 23.

Also on Wednesday, investigators contacted Cruz's employer who told them that Cruz said he could not go to work because of a family emergency.