MIRAMAR, Fla. – A family is pleading for someone to come forward after their loved one was fatally struck by a car over the weekend as he was crossing a street in Miramar.
Miramar police responded to the hit-and-run crash around 2:15 a.m. Sunday in the 6500 block of Pembroke Road.
According to authorities, the victim, identified Tuesday as Silvio Ortega Martinez, was trying to cross the street when he was struck by a vehicle that was heading east on Pembroke Road.
Miramar Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the victim dead at the scene.
Investigators photographed the scene as they found shoes and other items scattered in the road.
A number of evidence markers could be seen on the ground near the victim’s body that was covered by a yellow tarp.
The body was later taken away from the scene by the medical examiner’s officer.
From above, investigators used drones to map out the scene.
Relatives said Ortega Martinez was from Nicaragua and had just moved to the U.S. a year ago. They said his dream was to become a mechanic.
Surveillance video captured the moment the crash occurred.
The video shows the victim walking. He stops and then off frame is when he attempted to cross Pembroke Road near South 65th Avenue, at which time a white Chevy Malibu struck him.
The driver never stopped.
Ortega Martinez’s brother-in-law said in Spanish, “he was my brother -- friend,” and said they shared a special bond.
Family members are heartbroken and are just looking for closure, wondering why the driver left their loved one for dead, never stopping to help him.
“We do have a vehicle of interest that is out of state, and we have investigators en route to the vehicle now,” a detective confirmed Tuesday at a news conference.
Ortega Martinez’s family has since created a GoFundMe page to assist with funeral expenses.
“Our hearts are grieving the loss of a wonderful human being,” they wrote in a statement on the page.
Authorities located a vehicle they think could be the one involved in the crash, but are not revealing where it was found until they can confirm its involvement.
Anyone with further information is urged to contact Broward Crime Stoppers at 954-493-TIPS.