Santa Cruz police seeking white Toyota Tundra in fatal hit-and-run

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. -- The Santa Cruz Police Department is releasing new details about the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run early last Friday that claimed the life of Jose Adan Lainez, a 63-year-old Santa Cruz resident.

Based on debris collected at the scene of the crime, investigators say the vehicle may have been a white 2007 Toyota Tundra. Evidence collected included a right side mirror housing and a fog lamp bumper housing.

Video footage from nearby businesses captured the sound of the collision that occurred at 6:36 a.m. last Friday when the victim was hit from behind while riding his bicycle on Soquel Avenue near Hagemann Avenue, police said.

The driver also struck a traffic signal that became sheared from the sidewalk, according to police.

A city sanitation employee witnessed the collision and saw the pickup truck flee the scene east on Soquel Avenue, police said.

Firefighters and paramedics responded and pronounced Lainez dead at the scene, police said.

Images from the video footage show the suspect vehicle fleeing the scene but they're not clear enough to read the license plate or identify the driver, according to police.

SCPD officers say they're still looking for the pickup truck and its driver, and they're asking for the public's help.

The vehicle is expected to have damage to the front and right sides, police said.

Anonymous tips can be reported to the Santa Cruz Police Department by calling (831) 420-5995 or online at www.santacruzpolice.com.