Fort Worth police release video of hit-and-run driver that killed elderly man

FORT WORTH, Texas - Fort Worth police hope newly released surveillance video will help them track down a hit-and-run driver.

That driver killed a 74-year-old man just one day before his fifty-first wedding anniversary.

Fort Worth police are looking for the driver of a black SUV who struck Juan Garcia outside his home near Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth.

Juan’s grandson ran out to help him after the driver sped off, but it was too late.

Juan was just three weeks away from his seventy-fifth birthday. His son says they were planning a family trip to Vegas to celebrate. Now, they’re focused on trying to identify and find the driver that struck and killed him.

Andres Garcia describes getting the call on Friday night that his father had been killed in a hit-and-run accident just steps away from the family home in Southeast Fort Worth.

"It was just like a feeling that your heart drops. Your stomach drops. Like everything," he said. 

Andres says his father had just embarked on a daily walk, his favorite pastime.

"Every day. I mean that was his form of exercise. That’s what he did. He walked around the neighborhood," he said. "Everybody around here knows him. Everybody knows him."

MORE: Police seek driver who fled fatal pedestrian crash in Fort Worth

Fort Worth police say around 9:50 p.m., Juan was crossing the street at the intersection of Vaughn Blvd and Avenue H when a driver in a black SUV struck him and sped off. His grandson rushed over to try to help.

"He’s 10 years old," Andres said. "He had to get his stuff out of the street and try to help his grandpa."

Andres says after battling recent health issues, the elder Garcia had been waiting to take his walks at night to beat the heat and used a walker to get around.

"What kind of person is not going to help an old man in a walker, knowing that they harmed this person?" he said.

Fort Worth police released new video on Wednesday showing an SUV speeding through a nearby intersection moments after hitting Juan. They don't have a license plate number yet or even any specifics on the make or model of the vehicle.

"We’re just asking for the public’s help," said Fort Worth Police Officer Tracy Carter. "If they could just see this, look at this video and see. ‘Hey, maybe I noticed this car.’ It appears to be a small SUV."

"He was everybody’s friend," Andres said. "I’ve never met a person that he’s not friends with instantly."

A lover of motorcycles and spending time with his 10 grandchildren who died just two days before his fifty-first anniversary with his wife, Alma.

"Slow down. Pay attention," Andres said. "Stay off your phones. Whatever it is."

Last week, the city announced a three-year partnership with Main Street America to make the area more pedestrian friendly.

Andres says he’d like to see more lights and crosswalks to keep people safe.