A suspect who fled the country in 2017 was brought back from Israel and booked into San Mateo County Jail last week in connection with the hit-and-run death of a South San Francisco woman.
The South San Francisco Police Department says a San Francisco man who left the country shortly after a 2017 fatal hit-and-run has been returned to the US after authorities located and arrested him in Israel, as KPIX reports. Maher Abedelal, now 32, was extradited last week and booked into the San Mateo County Jail on charges of vehicular manslaughter and hit-and-run resulting in death.
The arrest was reportedly the result of a joint effort involving the FBI, the San Mateo County District Attorney's Office, the US Justice Department's Office of International Affairs, Israel's Ministry of Justice, and Israel National Police, which worked together to locate Abedelal and bring him back to face prosecution.
According to a Bay City News report from 2017, on the night of November 11, 44-year-old Teresa Gonzales, a South San Francisco resident and single mother of two, was crossing El Camino Real near Hazelwood Drive and South Spruce Avenue just before midnight when she was struck by a vehicle that fled the scene. Officers found her lying in the roadway, and she later died at a hospital.
After what police described as an extensive investigation, detectives identified Abedelal, who was 23 at the time, as the alleged driver. Per KPIX, investigators later learned he had fled the country, and they continued to search for him overseas after obtaining an arrest warrant.
Abedelal was booked into the San Mateo County Jail last week before being transferred to the Maple Street Correctional Center in Redwood City, where county records show he is being held without bail. His initial court appearance was scheduled for Wednesday.
On the fundraiser page for Gonzales’s memorial, Gonzales’s daughter described her as a selfless and loyal person who was a “firecracker” and “full of life.”
Related: Redwood City Police Find Fatal Hit-and-Run Suspect Within 24 Hours Using License Plate Readers
Image: Google Street View
