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Stamford Police arrested a city man on Thursday, Aug. 12, who was involved in the fatal collision on Friday, Nov. 6 that left a 19-year-old dead, according to authorities.
The crash took place around 10:30 p.m. when the victim, Stamford resident Michael Bajus, was riding his bicycle northbound on Harvard Avenue when he was struck by a 2005 Cadillac, throwing him off his bike and onto the roadway, Stamford PD Sgt. Jeffrey Booth.
Bajus stayed on the roadway, injured until he was struck by a second vehicle, a 2006 Infiniti that was being driven by John Reese, a 33-year-old Stamford resident, Booth said.
The second impact caused life-threatening injuries to Bajus, according to police. Bajus was transported to Stamford Hospital where he later died.
Reese fled the scene prior to identifying himself to the police, a witness was able to provide officers with his license plate and he was later found near his home, Booth said.
Reese denied any involvement in the collision and refused to cooperate with the investigation, Booth said.
Based on DNA, video evidence, and witness statements, Booth was able to obtain an arrest warrant for Reese for the charges of misconduct with a motor vehicle and evading responsibility.
Officers attempted to serve the warrant on Reese, but he was not home when the officers went to find him. He told officers over the phone that he would surrender himself, but never did and refused to cooperate.
On Aug. 12, a person familiar with Reese, that knew he had a warrant, saw him walking on Summer Street in Stamford and was able to flag down a police officer who saw Reese get into a vehicle.
Reese was again uncooperative and initially refused to get out of his vehicle, but he eventually exited the vehicle and was taken into custody, Booth said.
At the time of the collision, Reese was on probation for an earlier arrest. Based on this investigation probation officers completed an additional arrest warrant for violation of probation.
He is being held on a total of $575,000 in court set bonds.
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