Victim identified, SUV sought in St. Paul bicyclist hit-and-run

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KMSP) - St. Paul Police have released more details on the vehicle that struck a bicyclist on his way home from work early Sunday morning and fled the scene. 

The crash took place at the intersection of Grand Avenue and West 7th Street, leaving 52-year-old Jose Hernandez Solano clinging to life at Regions Hospital.

He was found unconscious, unresponsive and with serious injuries, according to police, halfway through his usual 5-mile trek home after leaving his job at Brassa 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."

He remains in critical condition while police search for the vehicle responsible, a platinum sage metallic 2008 to 2010 Hundai 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."

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