SPRINGFIELD, MA (WGGB/WSHM) – One motorcyclist is dead following a hit-and-run incident on the South End Bridge on Thursday night.
Emergency responders arrived shortly after 8:00 p.m. after reports of a collision between a car and a motorcycle. The motorcyclist, identified as 39-year-old Miguel Cruz of Springfield, was transported to Baystate Medical Center in serious condition and later pronounced dead.
According to Lauren LeBel, spokesperson for the Hampden District Attorney’s Office, the car’s operator initially stopped after the crash. A passenger then allegedly took control of the motorcycle and left the scene in the car.
25-year-old Jonathan Rivera, also from Springfield, was arrested on Monday in connection with the incident. He was arraigned in Springfield District Court on charges including motor vehicle homicide and carjacking, with bail set at $1.5 million. Rivera is scheduled to appear in court again on June 9.
The incident is still under investigation, with assistance from State Police detectives and the D.A.’s murder unit.