FORT MYERS, Fla. — It’s a record-setting year for Sergeant Neroni and the Fort Myers Police Department (FMPD).
“We have responded to over 900 hit and run crashes,” said Neroni since January 1, 2021.
On Tuesday, an arrest was made connected to a deadly hit-and-run that happened on June 1 on state road 82 in Fort Myers.
“It was all started over just a lane violation and it progressed to an incident, a road rage incident where we have a victim who ultimately lost his life over it,” said Neroni.
Back in June, FMPD say the person responsible for the crash left the scene before police arrived.
The driver of the other vehicle has now been identified as 53-year-old James Alan Tilney Jr.
In a press release, Fort Myers PD says it was Tilney Jr.'s reckless driving and actions that caused the crash.
Sergeant Neroni, whose part of the Traffic Unit for FMPD told Fox 4 of the hundreds of hit and run cases this year, their unit handles the unsolved felon cases that resulted in an injury.
“As of right now (Sep. 29) we have 7 active cases that we are working on,” she said.
Although, cracking these cases is not a simple task.
“Just because they were driving a vehicle or that vehicle was seen... we always have to put that driver behind the wheel and that’s why these cases take so long to close,” said Neroni.
This is why Fort Myers Police say drivers who witness an accident should pull over and contact police.
Sergeant Seroni says you never know what piece of information might lead to an arrest.
“A lot of times these hit and run cases that’s how we end up closing them,” she said.
