Mayor Evans pleads for person who killed teenage bicyclist in hit-and-run to come forward

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — At a Monday conference, Mayor Malik Evans spoke about the hit-and-run that killed a 19-year-old bicyclist on Lake Avenue and traffic safety with back-to-school approaching.

Evans and the father of Jared Jones, the teenage bicyclist killed on August 3rd, pleaded for the perpetrator to come forward. At the conference, the father said his son was returning home from the beach when was struck and killed by a vehicle. He said his son was kind to everyone.

“You took a lot from me and a lot from my family,” Jones’ father said.

Rochester Police Chief David Smith said the suspected vehicle, a 2013 – 2022 Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck, has not been found. The truck is black in color with damage to the passenger side of the front bumper area.

Smith is asking anyone with more information to call 911, 311, the Mayor’s Office, or submit an anonymous tip online through Crimestoppers.

Evans said people must show more respect for the rules of the road to prevent future traffic fatalities in Rochester. The mayor said he recently saw a driver speed off at a red light with little regard to the damage he or she might do.

Evans said the best way to prevent reckless driving is to encourage drivers to change their habits. He said there’s no way to “police our way out” of driving that lacks regard for human life. Instead, people must “change their hearts and minds” when it comes to sharing the road.

Evans said preventing reckless driving is particularly important as children begin walking and biking to school for the upcoming school year.

Victor Sanchez of Reconnect Rochester, a non-profit working on sustainable transportation, also spoke at the conference. He said that Reconnect Rochester is working to educate people on the dangers of reckless driving.