ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. – A young man struck by a vehicle on A1A in St. Augustine Beach early Wednesday morning died at the hospital, and the St. Johns County Sheriff's Office believes his death was the result of a hit-and-run.
Witnesses at the scene reported a young white man was lying in the middle of the road near Florida Avenue about 1:20 a.m. Paramedics took the victim, later identified as 23-year-old Casey McLendon, to Flagler Hospital, where he died.
McLendon, who lived in Tallahassee, grew up in St. Augustine and graduated from Pedro Menendez High School. A friend described McLendon as a sweet, quiet young man who loved his family and always had a skateboard under his feet.
Police said McLendon was on A1A north near Florida Avenue with his skateboard when he was hit by a pickup truck that kept going.
Pat Morrissey said he heard the hit-and-run crash and ran over to help block traffic until police arrived.
Morrissey said he got home from work at about 1 a.m., checked his mailbox and saw McLendon sitting on a side street near his house.
"I went back in the house and about 20, 25 minutes later, I just heard this loud noise," Morrissey said. "It sounded like a gun going off, a shotgun. And I thought about it and remembered the fellow being out there."
Morrissey said he and another man ran out in the middle of the road to block traffic.
"We just stopped the first few cars and then the police showed up," Morrissey said. "Thank God they stopped."
Neighbors said McLendon's skateboard was lying on the sidewalk at the foot of a driveway, his backpack was thrown a few feet away and there was an empty plastic bag nearby, as well. His body was down the street, lying in the middle of the northbound lanes.
A short time after the crash, St. Augustine police stopped a pickup truck with two people in it driving on Comares Avenue -- near the Conch House -- about 3 miles north of the accident scene.
"They believe it's a truck that had been involved in a recent crash consistent with what we have here," said St. Johns County Cmdr. Chuck Mulligan.
After a roadside interview, the pickup (pictured) was sealed and towed to the Sheriff's Office evidence facility. Forensic and mechanical examinations are pending the issuance of a search warrant.
The two people inside the truck, whose names have not been released, were taken to the Sheriff's Office for questioning but have been released.
Detectives said they are awaiting toxicology, vehicle examination and autopsy results before charges are filed.
"We have a lot of folks who are walking streets. We have beaches. People like to walk in those areas. We have shopping centers, so we have a lot of pedestrians," Mulligan said. "We have a lot of bicyclists, and we have a lot of cars on the road. We're a growing community with more and more individuals moving to St. Johns County every month, so this information we want folks to have really in the forefront of their minds is they always have to be aware, regardless if they're driving, bicycling or walking."
A1A South was blocked from Florida Avenue to Main Street for about four hours while investigators processed the scene.