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Cyclist dies after Rickenbacker hit-and-run

Additional charges for suspect pending

KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. – One of two cyclists injured in a hit-and-run crash on the Rickenbacker Causeway on Wednesday morning has died, Miami police said.

Police said Thursday that Aaron Cohen has died.

According to investigators, the hit-and-run suspect, Michele Traverso, 25, turned himself in to police early Thursday morning.

He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident with injuries and driving with a suspended license.

Enda Welsh and Cohen were struck by a vehicle as they rode their bicycles on the Causeway at about 6 a.m. Wednesday. Police said the driver drove away, leaving Welsh and Cohen injured in the road.

Welsh fractured his ankle in the accident, but Cohen had more serious injuries. He suffered severe head trauma, and he died at Jackson Memorial Hospital.

Cohen's wife said he was an avid cyclist. He has two children, 3-year-old Lilly and 1-year-old Aiden.

Cohen's father, Stephen Cohen, spoke to Local 10 News about his son.

"We were a family all the time. His cousins, his aunts, his uncles -- everybody loved him. Everybody loves him. He is just special," Stephen Cohen said.

Carlos Rodriguez, who participated in a running club called Team FTC with Cohen, said members of the team and others planned to hold a silent run Thursday evening in Cohen's honor. He said the runners will meet at the Miami Seaquarium at 8 p.m. Thursday and run to the bridge and back.

Traverso appeared in Miami-Dade bond court Thursday afternoon. His bond was set at $10,000.

"My client feels horrible about what happened," said Traverso's attorney.

Traverso also has to go back before a judge to face a previous cocaine possession charge.

Additional charges against Traverso are pending.


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