Police in Indiana, USA, have said that a bicycle was stolen from the victim of a hit and run incident minutes after the fatal collision.
Nicholas James Mruk, aged 24, had been riding on Hand Road, northwest of Fort Wayne, shortly before 8pm on the evening of Monday 31 October when he was struck by an unidentified vehicle, with the motorist failing to stop.
The Allen County Sheriff’s Department said that officers and medical staff were called but found the cyclist dead at the scene.
Witnesses told police that before their arrival, the driver of a second vehicle, possibly a dark-coloured minivan, had stopped, and that the victim’s bike was taken.
Police have appealed for anyone with information about the drive and vehicle involved in the original collision, or the second vehicle, to get in touch immediately.
While not mentioned in the police report, it is possible that the bicycle could provide vital clues to the vehicle involved in the fatal crash, for example through paint fragments left on the frame.
A coroner’s report following an autopsy said that Mr Mruk died due to “blunt force trauma due to motor vehicle crash” and gave the manner of death as “accident.”
Simon has been news editor at road.cc since 2009, reporting on 10 editions and counting of pro cycling’s biggest races such as the Tour de France, stories on issues including infrastructure and campaigning, and interviewing some of the biggest names in cycling. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, his background has proved invaluable in reporting on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, and the bike industry. He splits his time between London and Cambridge, and loves taking his miniature schnauzer Elodie on adventures in the basket of her Elephant Bike.