HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – Authorities have arrested a driver who allegedly hit a teen and left her in the middle of the road.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said 24-year-old Nakeeba Ryan was interviewed by detectives and arrested Friday morning.
According to deputies, Ryan was driving a blue SUV and hit the 14-year-old girl who was walking home with friends around 7:15 p.m. Thursday.
The crash happened at 15th Street North and 122nd Avenue East.
According to an arrest report, Ryan got out of her car and looked around after the crash, then she got back into her vehicle. She did not check on the victim or call 911, the report said.
After she left the scene, deputies explained that Ryan went to her boyfriend’s place “where she reviewed the damage caused by the crash,” the report says.
She admitted to being the sole person in the Chevy Equinox, deputies reported.
“We cross the street and we hear a lot of people crying, but before that we heard that, we actually heard the hit. It sounded like a truck,” said eyewitness Marquis Aldrich.
The teen is currently listed in critical condition at Tampa General Hospital, according to Merissa Lynn, a sheriff’s spokeswoman.
Deputies say Ryan is employed by the Department of Children and Family Services. Jail records show she works in economic counsel.
8 On Your Side reached out to DCF spokewsoman Natalie Harrell, who responded with the following: “We’ve received your inquiry and have begun processing.”
It is unclear if Ryan was headed to or from a DCF assignment at the time of the crash. 8 On Your side is attempting to find out Ryan’s employment status with the department following her arrest for leaving the scene of a crash with serious bodily injury. She remains in jail.
“I think it’s terrible because she worked for DCF and she didn’t stop and help that woman. I think it’s awful,” said Tammy Robinson, the suspect’s neighbor.
Detectives were able to quickly identify the vehicle involved in the crash because the area is equipped with an Eye On Crime camera, one of roughly 100 cameras the Sheriff’s Office installed over the past couple of years.
“If we didn’t have these pictures or that video, from the Eye on Crime cameras, we wouldn’t know what type of vehicle it was,” Lynn said.
The victim’s name is not being released due to Marsy’s Law, Lynn said.
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