San Mateo man tied to vehicle collision that left woman seriously injured; arrested for felony hit-and-run
Photo: Stock image (Source unknown)
SAN MATEO // Police have announced the arrest of a San Mateo man after identifying him as the primary suspect in a felony hit-and-run that occurred on March 31, 2017.
That day, an unidentified passerby found and returned the victim’s dog to its home, but the victim herself was nowhere to be found. Her family went looking for her and eventually found her alone and seriously injured, having been struck by a vehicle.
The victim, identified as a 59-year-old woman local to San Mateo, had been walking her dog on Edinburgh Street when she was struck. She was promptly hospitalized with injuries so severe that she is still recovering to this day.
Given the limited evidence and lack of witnesses, early leads pursued by officers came up nil. Nonetheless, SMPD’s Traffic Unit continued their investigation, pursuing multiple avenues of investigation over the following 8 months and inspecting over 50 possible suspect vehicles.
Eventually, investigators identified a single vehicle in connection to the incident, as well as evidence suggesting a conscious effort to conceal the crime.
At last, in the early morning hours of January 4th, officers arrived at the home of 44-year-old Thomas M. Pagnotta on the 800 block of North Delaware Street, armed with a search warrant and additional evidence at hand. Pagnotta was arrested and now faces multiple charges of felony hit-and-run.
