Investigators said 58-year-old Papaivia Masaga was struck at the intersection of Main and Jay streets at about 10:00 p.m.
Masaga was making a quick trip to a liquor store near his residence at the Carson Senior Village. He was crossing the dimly lit, four-lane intersection when he was hit, thrown several feet and landed next to a parked van. Sheriff's deputies said Masaga was already dead when they arrived.
Tien Dang, who owns the liquor store Masaga last visited, said Masaga helped care for his disabled wife and that they were regular customers. According to Dang, Masaga had just lost his job last week.
The car that struck Masaga was last seen driving westbound on 223rd Street. It is described as a 1994 - 1998 black Ford Mustang with significant damage to the front passenger side.
Investigators are reviewing video footage from nearby businesses in hopes of tracking down the person behind the wheel.
"Our investigators have talked to other businesses, we are looking at surveillance cameras, a lot of the businesses do have cameras that see out in the street. We're hoping that that person can come forward and tell us what happened," said Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Faye Adragna.
Anyone with information should call the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Carson station at (310) 830-1123.
