Driver in Avon hit-and-run drove with high school victim on his roof for 4 miles, police say

AVON, CT (WFSB) – A man was arrested for hitting a young bicyclist and fleeing the scene with the victim still on the roof of his vehicle, police said.

Avon police identified the driver as 29-year-old Alex Joel Rivera.

According to an arrest warrant released on Tuesday, Rivera knew he struck the victim but didn’t want to go to jail because they’d take his daughter away.

Three other people were in the vehicle, including its owner and two children, the warrant said.

Police said they were alerted on Oct. 4 around 9:15 p.m. to debris on the road near Arch Roach and Security Drive.

When they arrived on the scene, they said they found a damaged bicycle, loose amounts of candy, and a cell phone in the roadway.

Officers determined that a driver hit a bicyclist.

Both the driver and the cyclist were not at the scene, which prompted a temporary road closure for an investigation.

Shortly after, authorities said they received another report of an injured child on the side of the road in the vicinity of 73 Harris Rd.

Police said two good Samaritans who witnessed a Subaru driver driving erratically decided to return to the area where they saw the Subaru a short time before because they felt something was wrong. They then found the injured juvenile on the side of the road and called 911.

Officers confirmed that the juvenile, 16-year-old Liam Shields, was the bicyclist from the earlier incident.

Police said when Shields was struck, he was carried several miles on the roof of the car.

“The juvenile was then trapped on the roof of the vehicle and carried a distance of over four miles via local roads to the area of 73 Harris Rd. The operator then stopped to push the juvenile off the roof and continue on his way,” police said.

According to the warrant, Rivera told police that the bicyclist “came out of nowhere.” He assumed he “rolled off” the vehicle.

The vehicle owner told police that on West Avon Road, she noticed a foot hanging by Rivera’s driver-side window and told him to pull over.

Rivera said when he realized someone was on the roof, he “freaked out,” pushed him off, and then called the police.

The vehicle owner, however, said Rivera called his daughter’s mother, his parents, and then police.

The vehicle involved was identified and located, which led to the arrest of Rivera.

Rivera was charged with first-degree endangerment, evading responsibility for causing serious physical injury, operating a vehicle without a license, and two counts of risk of injury to a child.

Rivera appeared in court and is being held on $100,000 bond. He is still in custody at this time.

The disturbing details of this tragic accident have shaken up the community.

Liam Shields is a sophomore at Avon High School and plays on the school’s soccer and basketball teams.

He’s in critical condition in the hospital while family and friends are coming together to pray he’ll make a full recovery.

“The kids are always asking me, ‘how is he? How is Liam doing?’, and I tell them, ‘getting through’, said Jenny Eldridge.

Jenny Eldridge is close friends with the Shields family. She works with Liam’s mom and one of her sons is the same age as Liam and his twin brother. Her son has been playing basketball on the same team as Liam for years.

On Friday night, she got a call from Andrea Shields informing her that Liam was hurt in an accident.

“It was devastating. I felt bad. I felt sick to my stomach,” said Eldridge. “Especially me having my kids as the same age, and they are friends. I see him and I also see my kids and it’s tragic and sad.”

Now, community members are coming together to help the Shields family through this tragedy by hosting fundraisers, setting up a meal train, and sending prayers.

Eldridge set up a GoFundMe for the Shields family. So far, they’ve raised just over $39,000.

“When you get an unexpected situation like this, it’s like your heart is there too,” Eldridge said. “It’s scary how quickly this can change, how your life can change in a matter of a second. You could be here and happy and talking and doing everything, and the next thing you get devastating news or something that happened to you.”

“I, along with the rest of our community, were horrified at this blatant disregard for human life. This person hit the young man and carried him on a car for over 4 miles, and then dumped his body on the side of the road. It was obviously devastating to me and it’s devastating to our entire community,” said Lisa Seminara, District 8 State Senator.

There will be a prayer service tomorrow night for Liam and his family at the church of St. Ann in Avon starting at 5:30 p.m. There will also be fundraisers this week at Luna Pizza and Crown and Hammer restaurant in Collinsville to support the Shields.