PO‘IPU — An ongoing investigation into an alleged hit-and-run on Saturday evening revealed that two teenage girls were walking along Po‘ipu Road at the time they were struck by a vehicle.
The 13- and 15-year-old girls were previously believed to be crossing Po‘ipu Road at the time of the crash, the Kaua‘i Police Department said in an update of the incident on Wednesday.
The girls, who were visiting the island of Kaua‘i with their family, remain in critical condition at a hospital on O‘ahu.
Noah Alejandro, 25, of Kalaheo, was taken into custody on Sunday morning, July 9, about two hours after the hit-and-run.
The incident happened around 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 8, at which time police officers responded to a report of the traffic crash on Po‘ipu Road in front of Po‘ipu Beach Athletic Club.
“After further review and with the help of witness statements, it was found they were walking eastbound along the eastbound shoulder of Po‘ipu Road when they were hit,” the police department said in the update. “Several family members were walking alongside them. Both victims remain in critical condition in O‘ahu.”
Alejandro, who fled the scene of the crash and abandoned the vehicle he was driving in a hotel parking lot, turned himself in to KPD at approximately 12:06 a.m. on Sunday.
The two teenage girls were initially transported to Wilcox Medical Center in Lihu‘e, and later medevaced to Queen’s Hospital on O‘ahu for further treatment.
Alejandro was booked on two counts of negligent injury in the first degree, being involved in an accident involving serious bodily injury, inattention to driving, reckless driving and operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant. He was released pending further investigation.
The crash closed Po‘ipu Road in both directions for roughly three hours while the KPD Traffic Safety Section conducted an on-scene investigation. The investigation is ongoing.
Anyone who has information about the crash is asked to call TSS officers Russell Himongala or Shawn Hanna at 808-241-1847. For people wishing to remain anonymous, they can call Crime Stoppers Kauai at 808-246-8300, or submit a tip at cskauai.org or via the Crime Stoppers Kauai P3 Tips mobile app.
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Wyatt Haupt Jr., editor, can be reached at 808-245-0457 or whaupt@thegardenisland.com.
