A man wanted in a hit-and-run car crash that left a 4-year-old boy dead this month in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood has turned himself in, police said Monday.
Olguens Joseph was wanted on charges of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, leaving the scene of a personal injury and death and operating an unregistered/uninsured vehicle.
It was surveillance video from a tipster that may have helped Boston police crack the case.
A suspicious neighbor knew that investigators were looking for a gray Chevy Spark believed to be involved in the fatal hit-and-run that killed 4-year-old Ivan Pierre on Tuesday, July 18.
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So the neighbor sent police images of a Spark outside his neighbor's home in Mattapan, and identified Olguens Joseph as the owner -- which turned out to be key clues in the case that has shaken up the Hyde Park neighborhood on Wood Avenue where the crash took place, with people wondering who could leave a young child to die on the street.
The child was hit Tuesday, July 18, about 9:30 p.m. on Wood Avenue. Immediately following the crash, an off-duty firefighter who was in the area provided first aid to the child, who was then rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, police say.
Authorities have not released the child's name, but family member Heroldy Limage has identified the victim as his 4-year-old nephew, Ivan Pierre.
“I went out there and seen the little boy,” said Jimmy Johnson. “It touched my heart, it really hurt me to see him laying out there like that. And the way these people got no respect for the human race, I don’t understand them.”
Investigators had few leads to work with in the days following the crash, but they obtained multiple surveillance videos near the scene of the crime that indicated a Chevy Spark was involved.
Then the key tip from the neighbor in Mattapan came in.
When police went to interview Joseph at his home, he denied being involved in the crash, according to court documents, which also reveal that three days after the incident, Joseph returned the car to the man he had recently bought it from, saying it was too small for his family.
Investigators tracked down the car at an auto repair shop, and the damage to the vehicle combined with the surveillance videos placing the car near the crash site led to a warrant for Joseph's arrest Monday afternoon.
“We asked for the community’s help in this matter and we got the community’s help in this matter,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said.
Shortly after Boston police announced on Monday that Joseph was wanted for the hit-and-run, he turned himself in.
The tipster who provided the critical leads to police tells NBC10 Boston that he wanted to do what was right for the family of Ivan Pierre.
Neighbors near the crash site say drivers are always speeding in the area, and something needs to be done.
“We’re concerned about the speeding,” said Marilynne Smith Quarcoo. “If you notice in this neighborhood you’ll find stop signs are on every single corner. They are not a deterrent to speeding.”
Joseph is expected to be arraigned in court Tuesday. It wasn't immediately clear if he had obtained an attorney who could speak to the serious charges he's facing.
