SUTTON, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities have identified the 51-year-old man who was apparently struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver while jogging along the side of the road on Wednesday, officials said.
Officers responding to a report of an unconscious man on the front lawn of a home on Singletary Road about 8:15 a.m. pronounced Daniel DeLima, of Millbury, dead at the scene, according to the Sutton Police Department.
Thanks to surveillance video from a nearby mini-mart, police say they are now looking for a white SUV that would have damage to the passenger side.
DeLima loved running, according to his friend Eduardo Perez. He was able to reach his goal of running a marathon in Paris last year.
“He was a wonderful person,” Perez said. “So loved by everyone. [He was a] psychologist and his life was just to help people. He never held any grudges against anybody. He was always fun.”
DeLima’s family released a statement saying “he is the most wonderful person we know. He was very loved and will be missed by many. There are no words to express our pain. Jogging was one of his favorite things in life, he left us doing what he loves.”
Wilfred Tremblay says his wife was the first to spot DeLima on the lawn.
“You hit someone or something, you stop. I don’t care if it’s a turtle,” he told reporters. “It’s just unconscionable that you don’t have the guts to stop.”
Neighborhood residents say most drivers in the area ignore the posted speed limit of 35 mph.
“People go like 50 or 60 mph down here. It’s kind of scary,” one resident told 7NEWS. “I have trouble backing out of my driveway.”
Sutton Police Chief Dennis Towle is urging the driver responsible for DeLima’s death to surrender.
“We believe it’s unquestionable that the person who struck this individual knew that they struck them,” he said. “We’re urging them to turn themselves in.”
The investigation is being conducted by the Sutton Police Department, the Worcester District Attorney’s Office, and the Central Mass. Law Enforcement Council’s crash reconstruction unit.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sutton Police Department.
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