Atwater teen dies after hit-and-run; suspect sought

A 16-year-old boy died early Sunday in Atwater, apparently after being struck by a vehicle that left the scene without stopping, the Police Department reported.

Atwater police Sgt. Dick Wisdom said investigators could not release many details regarding the case.

The name of the victim was not released pending notification of his family. The Merced County Coroner’s Office was working on that portion of the case Sunday morning, Sgt. Delray Shelton said.

Police responded at 11:51 p.m. Saturday to the area of Shaffer Road and Della Drive, near Thomas Olaeta Elementary School in Atwater, after receiving a report of a victim lying in the southbound lanes of the roadway.

“The officers found the victim, a Hispanic male teenager, unresponsive with no pulse,” Wisdom said.

Emergency crews from Riggs Ambulance Service administered CPR without success. He was pronounced dead at 12:08 a.m. Sunday, Wisdom said.

Wisdom said there was “a very large debris field” at the scene, but declined to elaborate to protect the investigation. Detectives did not release any descriptions of a vehicle.

The incident was first reported to police by someone passing the debris field after the crash, Wisdom said.

This story was originally published January 25, 2015 at 8:16 AM with the headline "Atwater teen dies after hit-and-run; suspect sought."