MIAMI – Miami police are investigating an early morning hit-and-run crash that left a motorcyclist dead.
The crash was reported around 4:30 a.m. Thursday in the area of Northwest 47th Avenue and West Flagler Street.
Sky 10 was above the scene later in the morning as a red Toyota with heavy front-end damage was partially on the sidewalk.
The victim’s body was on the sidewalk right next to the vehicle with a tarp covering it.
Police confirmed that City of Miami Fire Rescue personnel pronounced the victim, later identified as 50-year-old Edgar Edmundo Sarduy Suarez, dead at the scene.
Family members told Local 10 News’ Christian De La Rosa they are in shock and trying to come to terms with the loss.
Loved ones said Suarez loved riding his motorcycle and was on his way to work at Miami International Airport when he was hit.
Surveillance video from a nearby nail salon shows the driver making a left turn before crashing into the motorcycle and then slamming into the outside of the building on the corner of the intersection.
Gabriella Pierre, who owns the nail salon, told Local 10 that this isn’t the first time she’s seen an accident in the area.
“They’re always driving really fast through here,” said Pierre. “Sometimes, they don’t even respect the light.”
The motorcycle then spins to a stop and the driver inside the car jumps out and runs away, leaving Suarez to die on the sidewalk.
Police are still searching for the driver who abandoned the car after the crash. They believe he is a white man in his 30s.
“The driver of the other vehicle which collided into this motorcycle got out of the car and basically left this person lifeless on the floor,” said Sgt. Freddie Cruz, a spokesman for the Miami Police Department.
Family members are begging the driver to come forward and wonder if Suarez would still be alive if the driver had stopped to help.
Traffic was shut down for hours from Northwest 46th Avenue to 47th Court on West Flagler Street after the hit-and-run.
Traffic reopened just before 9 a.m. after the body was removed and the vehicles were towed away.
Police said the abandoned car did not belong to the person who was behind the wheel. It is unclear if the car was stolen.
Anyone with further information is asked to call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.