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Portage Park Man Hit, Killed 34-Year-Old And Drove Off, Police Say

By  Erica Demarest and Kelly Bauer | February 29, 2016 8:27am | Updated on February 29, 2016 1:01pm

 Felix Fajardo, 33, of Portage Park, hit and killed a 34-year-old man and drove off, police said.
Felix Fajardo, 33, of Portage Park, hit and killed a 34-year-old man and drove off, police said.
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Courtesy Chicago Police Department

COOK COUNTY CRIMINAL COURTHOUSE — A Portage Park man has been charged with fleeing the scene of a fatal hit-and-run in Avondale.

Felix Fajardo, 33, had a green light when he struck a pedestrian crossing the street near Belmont and Milwaukee avenues about 5:20 a.m. Feb. 21, Assistant State's Attorney Karisa Flores said during a bond hearing Monday.

The victim, 34-year-old Christopher Sanchez, flew through the air, landed on the hood of Fajardo's SUV and then fell to the ground, prosecutors said.

A witness stopped to help Sanchez and call 911, Flores said, but Fajardo kept driving.

Sanchez was rushed to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at 6:06 a.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.

Speed cameras captured the crash, prosecutors said. Fajardo's light-colored SUV can be seen driving through the intersection, striking the victim and driving away. Fajardo never slowed down or tried to stop, Flores said.

Prosecutors on Monday said they didn't know how fast Fajardo was driving.

After the crash, Fajardo went home and parked his car in front of his house in the 5100 block of West Patterson Avenue, prosecutors said. There were damage to the passenger side headlight and hood, prosecutors said, and police were able to recover possible blood samples.

Fajardo is charged with leaving the scene of an accident that caused injury or death.

Cook County Judge Maria Kuriakos Ciesil on Monday ordered Fajardo held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

According to his public defender, Fajardo has two children and worked as a laborer before he was laid off. Fajardo is a native of Honduras who has lived in the Chicago area for 20 years, his attorney said.

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