OPP identifies victim of fatal Middlesex County hit-and-run, seeks suspect

OPP are asking automotive repair shops and scrap yards to contact police if a vehicle matching the description of the one involved in the fatal collision was recently repaired.

Middlesex County OPP have identified the victim of a fatal hit and run that took place earlier this week in the Ontario Municipality of Adelaide-Metcalfe.

Police say around 9:15 p.m. Monday, a cyclist was travelling on Calvert Drive when they were struck by a vehicle.

The cyclist was reportedly thrown from their bicycle and pronounced dead at the scene, police say.

OPP have identified the deceased as 45-year-old Johannes Francis Smolders of Strathroy, Ont.

The crash caused damage to the vehicle’s front passenger side corner and headlight assembly.

The vehicle involved in the incident failed to remain at the scene of the collision, police say.

The suspect vehicle is described as either a Dodge Dakota pickup truck between the years of 1997 and 2004 or a Dodge Durango SUV between the years of 1998 and 2003.

The OPP are asking automotive repair shops and scrap yards to contact police if a vehicle matching the description was recently repaired or if parts were sold for a passenger-side headlight assembly.