Asheville police investigate and charge driver in cyclist’s death; victim named
ASHEVILLE – Police have found and arrested the driver of a truck they say struck and killed a bicyclist on Swannanoa River Road on July 18.
Officials released the bicyclist’s name on July 19 after contacting his family: Alexander Rozos, 26. A public records search revealed that Rozos lived in the Haw Creek neighborhood of Asheville.
A police investigation revealed that Rozos was riding his bicycle westbound near the 300 block of Swannanoa River Road near South Tunnel Road around 11:42 a.m. when he was struck by a white box truck traveling in the same lane and direction, Asheville police spokesman Rick Rice said.
The driver drove away with the truck before police arrived and Rozos died at the scene, Rice said.
“After further investigation by officers, the vehicle and driver were located later that afternoon. After completing the APD investigation and consultation with the Buncombe County District Attorney’s Office, the driver, Mauricio Roberto Melgar Delgado, 47, was charged with hit and run causing serious injury/death,” Rice said.
Delgado was taken into custody on July 18 and booked into the Buncombe County Detention Center. The judge set a $50,000 unsecured bond. Delgado was released on bond, Rice said. That could mean he has to pay a surety $5,000, or 10% of his bond.
Witnesses said they saw the collision and the white van heading west toward Biltmore Avenue, police said.
During the investigation, a section of the Swannanoa River Road to the South Tunnel was closed on July 18.
Since 2022, at least two cyclists have died in Asheville after being struck by vehicles, one in downtown and one in West Asheville. In a 2023 accident on Merrimon Avenue, a cyclist was seriously injured when he was struck by a truck.
This story will be updated.
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Joel Burgess has lived in WNC for more than 20 years and covers politics, government and other news. He has written award-winning stories on topics ranging from gerrymandering to police use of force. Have a tip? Contact Burgess at [email protected], 828-713-1095 or on Twitter at @AVLreporter. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This story will be updated.
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