Central Florida man arrested after running from deadly crash that killed elderly lady

TAVARES, Fla. — A Tavares man is in jail on Saturday, charged with vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.

The deadly crash happened at the intersection of Dead River Road and Oak Drive at 1:51 p.m. on Friday.

>>> STREAM CHANNEL 9 EYEWITNESS NEWS LIVE <<<

When officers arrived at the crash scene, witnesses told them the driver of the at-fault vehicle exited his car and ran from the accident.

The victim, Melissa Kroeger, had to be extracted from her vehicle by the Tavares Fire Department.

Read: ‘See ya!’: Watch Vanessa Echols sign off from Channel 9 for the final time after 30 years

The 75-year-old Tavares resident was transported to the hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

The driver who caused the crash and fled the scene was later identified as 26-year-old Brenten Salerno of Tavares.

Read: TIMELINE: 10 homes damaged, 5 destroyed by wildfire in Brevard County

Salerno was located and arrested.

According to police, Salerno admitted to officers that he was the driver of the vehicle.

Read: Now is the time to prepare: Florida’s Hurricane Tax holiday kicks off Saturday

He is being held in the Lake County Jail on $2,000 bond.

Click here to download the free WFTV news and weather apps, click here to download the WFTV Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

©2022 Cox Media Group