Bridgeport man arrested in Norwalk hit-and-run that killed 81-year-old pedestrian, police say

NORWALK — A Bridgeport man was arrested Monday in a hit-and-run crash on Van Buren Avenue last year that killed an 81-year-old pedestrian, police said. Edwin Francisco-Bonilla, 30, was taken into custody after investigators obtained an arrest warrant in the fatal Nov. 19 crash, according to Norwalk police Lt. Ramon Tejada. Tejada said the collision took place when a vehicle failed to stop at a red light while turning left from Bedford Avenue onto Van Buren Avenue and struck a pedestrian. The incident was captured on a nearby vehicle’s dashboard camera and the driver, later identified as Francisco-Bonilla, fled the scene, Tejada said. Tejada said a second vehicle traveling on Van Buren Avenue also struck the pedestrian because the driver was unable to see the victim lying in the roadway. “The driver of the second vehicle immediately stopped and rendered aid,” Tejada said. Tejada said the pedestrian was transported to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. He identified the individual as James H. Girardeau, 81. Francisco-Bonilla was charged with evading responsibility resulting in death, misconduct with a motor vehicle, failure to obey a traffic control signal, operator of a motor vehicle fails to exercise reasonable care near a vulnerable user, use of a cellphone while driving, operating a motor vehicle with a suspended registration and operating with unsafe tires. Tejada said Francisco-Bonilla was held on a $100,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on June 1.