Juan Martinez Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run on Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve hit and run

​(Update 1 p.m.): Police have informed us that Juan Martinez, 23, was arrested on suspicion of hitting and killing a pedestrian on Christmas Eve and driving away. Read more after the jump.

A man was found dead underneath Highway 101 in the Mission District on Christmas Eve morning in what police are calling a brutal hit-and-run accident.

Police found the man on an island underneath the freeway at Potrero and Cesar Chavez at about 8:30 a.m. on Saturday. A preliminary investigation concluded that someone drove onto the island, hit the man, and then drove away, leaving him there to die.

The Medical Examiner's Office told SF Weekly they have identified the victim, but could not release his name until they located the family.

Check back for updates.

Update: Investigators tracked down Martinez, a San Francisco resident, seven hours after the accident. He was arrested at 3 p.m. and has been charged with vehicular manslaughter, a felony hit-and-run, driving a motor vehicle while using a cellphone, and driving with a suspended license.

Sgt. Daryl Fong told us that investigators are not releasing anymore information about how they found Martinez or whether the cellphone played a role in the accident.

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