Police identify woman killed in hit-and-run in Arlington

Suspected vehicle recovered; Jacksonville police search for driver

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Police said a woman died Saturday night after being struck by an SUV on Cesery Boulevard, near Merrill Road, and that vehicle fled the scene.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said Helen Schafer, 61, was crossing Merrill about 9:30 p.m. when she was struck by an eastbound vehicle. Investigators say the driver fled the scene in the SUV.

Later Saturday night, police received a call from a person living on University Boulevard reporting her SUV had been involved in a hit-and-run crash. Police said the caller's vehicle matched the description of the one that struck the victim and impounded it.

The caller told officers someone was driving her SUV, although she did not know his name or where he could be located.

Police are searching for the driver, who was described as a black man in his 30s about 5 feet 11 inches tall. 

"Witnesses are so important to identify who the person was in the vehicle, who the driver was behind the wheel," JSO Public Information Officer Melissa Bujeda said. 

News4Jax spoke with Janala Wilcox who said she knew Schafer and saw the incident.

“She (Schafer) was crossing the street and a car came and just hit her and kept going," Wilcox said. "It flipped her upside down and kept going.” 

Wilcox said a loud noise happened when Schafer was struck and it caught the attention of the neighbors. 

“When he hit her, it made a big boom and everybody came outside,” Wicox said. "Everyone was just running over there.”

Wicox told News4Jax that she thinks the driver may have been under the influence.

“He was swerving like this way and that way," Wilcox said. "He looked like he was drunk.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.