Maplewood Man Formally Charged After Fatal Hit-and-Run

Oct 2

A Maplewood man is accused of driving drunk and striking a pedestrian with his work van before fleeing the scene.

Police were called just after 4:30 a.m. on Sept. 26 to Maryland Avenue, where they found the victim, 31-year-old Abdul Bakr Jafar, fatally injured in the roadway.

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Witnesses reported a dark van with ladders on top speeding away. One delivery driver followed the van, photographed the plate and gave it to police.

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The van was registered to a roofing company at the Maplewood home of 46-year-old Jose Ronald Hernandez Pineda. Investigators used Pineda’s cell phone data to locate the damaged vehicle at a job site in Sleepy Eye. Pineda was arrested and officers noted he smelled of alcohol. A preliminary breath test showed a blood alcohol level of .06.

PREVIOUSLY: Arrest Made After Fatal Maplewood Hit-and-Run Crash

Surveillance video captured the van striking Jafar head-on as he walked in the roadway. Pineda allegedly told coworkers that morning there were “a lot of deer by his house,” after they questioned the damage to his van.

Pineda is charged in Ramsey County with criminal vehicular homicide for leaving the scene of a fatal crash and for operating a vehicle negligently while under the influence of alcohol. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. He remains in custody with bail set at $1 million. He is expected to make his next court appearance later this month.

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