Bicyclist, Brasa employee struck by hit-and-run driver dies

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Jose Solano was biking home from work at Brasa Rotisserie in St. Paul when he was struck by a driver who ran a red light.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - Jose Hernandez Solano, the Brasa restaurant employee struck by a hit-and-run driver at Grand Avenue and West 7th Street on Nov. 26, passed away early Thursday morning, St. Paul police confirmed. Investigators are still working to find the driver who hit him. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call 651-266-5727.

Solano was found unconscious, unresponsive and with serious injuries halfway through his usual five-mile bike ride home after leaving his job at Brasa Rotisserie.

According to witnesses, Solano had a light on the bicycle he was riding and proceeded through the intersection when he was hit by a driver who sped through a red light. The suspect subsequently fled the scene without stopping.

"He wore a helmet, he had a light on his bicycle and he had the right of way," St. Paul Police spokesperson Steve Linders said. "This gentleman was doing nothing wrong and now he’s suffering."

The vehicle responsible is described as a platinum sage metallic 2008 to 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe with dark-colored rims. The vehicle looks light-green, silver or beige, depending on the light, police said, with front-end damage and a missing mirror on the passenger side.

"How do you sleep at night?" Linders said. "Because I can tell you our investigators aren’t."

Again, anyone with information on the driver or the suspect vehicle is asked to call the St. Paul Police at 651-266-5727.