Authorities responded to reports of a pedestrian down on the 10000 block of Locust Avenue around 5:30 p.m.
Lorenzo Rodriguez, 42, his son and two daughters spent part of Sunday preparing tamales for Thanksgiving. Rodriguez was taking out the trash around 5:30 p.m. Suddenly, the family heard a crash.
When 17-year-old Arturo Rodriguez went outside, he didn't immediately realize that the victim was his father.
"I see a body and I just started looking for my dad to advise him that somebody died on our street and I couldn't find him. So I went to the front and I saw his hat on the ground," the teen said through tears.
Lorenzo Rodriguez was struck while standing at the curb. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Rodriguez was an unemployed welder. His family says he worked hard to build the home that they moved into just a few months ago.
"He was our rock. He tried as hard as he was unemployed for such a long time. And he still did stuff to help us. We can only hope that the person who did it turn themselves in, please," said Breeza Rodriguez, the victim's daughter.
The family has a bank account set up at Chase Bank, account #182370306, to accept public donations.
Witnesses described the suspect's vehicle as a dark-colored, raised pickup truck.
The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding the hit-and-run was urged to contact San Bernardino CHP officials at (909) 383-4247.
