James Aguilar dies in fatal Arvada, Colorado hit-and-run crash

James Aguilar dies in fatal Arvada, Colorado hit-and-run crash

Fatal Arvada, Colorado hit-and-run crash death of James Aguilar – Obituary

James Aguilar, a longtime resident of Arvada, was killed earlier this month after being struck by a pickup truck while using his wheelchair on Wadsworth Boulevard just north of 53rd Avenue. The crash occurred shortly before 2 a.m. on May 8.

According to the Arvada Police Department, Aguilar was heading north in the southbound lanes of Wadsworth when he was hit head-on by the truck. The driver did not stop after the collision. A passerby stopped to help Aguilar, who was transported to a hospital but later died from his injuries.

His son, Dominick Aguilar, spoke with local media, expressing heartbreak over how his father was left in the road, saying, “They left him in the street like an animal, and we deserve better than that.”

Investigators used license plate recognition technology to identify the suspect’s vehicle. On May 30, police arrested 39-year-old Carlos Manuel Cayetano near 58th Avenue and Lamar Street. He faces charges including leaving the scene of an accident involving death, two drug possession charges, and two counts of violating a protection order.

Cayetano was booked into the Jefferson County Jail with bond set at $100,000 cash only. The Aguilar family has launched a GoFundMe campaign to assist with funeral expenses.