Suspect Arrested in Fatal Hit-and-Run

FRESNO – A woman was arrested for the deadly hit-and-run that left a construction worker dead in Fresno early Wednesday morning. Alyssa Villanueva, 26, of Fresno was arrested for the incident and will face charges of murder, driving while intoxicated causing death, hit and run, leaving the scene of a crime, and driving with a suspended license.

24-year-old Regan Johnson

The California Highway Patrol said that Villanueva was driving on Highway 99 near Clinton Avenue around 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning when she drove her car into a closed area to pass traffic. Construction crews were working in that area to resurface a stretch of northbound lanes. Villanueva’s car struck and killed Regan Johnson, 24, of Reedley, who was a seasonal worker with Windsor Fuel Company. She was moving cones when the vehicle hit her.

“It’s unbelievable for this person to go over into a construction zone into a lane closure just because they want to pass vehicles,” said Sean Duncan with the CHP. Villanueva was driving alone at the time of the incident. She had a previous DUI charge in 2012 and had lost her license to drive.

Vehicle involved in hit-and-run

After hitting Johnson, Villanueva and her stepfather, 40-year-old Antonio Rios, tried to hide the crime. Rios is accused of removing the license plates from the car and covering it with a tarp to try and conceal it. He was arrested for resisting a police officer and later released.

Police received an anonymous tip about a car matching the description of the one involved in the hit-and-run, which ultimately led them to Villanueva.

Read More:

Fresno Bee: Construction Worker Killed in Highway 99 Hit-and-Run

KSEE24 News: Murder Charges for Driver in Highway 99 Hit & Run

ABC30: Family and Friends Remember Regan Johnson