Police say 20-year-old man under arrest admitted role in fatal Placerville hit-and-run

A 20-year-old man was arrested on Friday in connection with a fatal hit-and-run crash in Placerville a week ago that killed a pedestrian.

In a news release, the Placerville Police Department said Efrain Gonzalez was taken into custody at his Placerville home after a man was killed in a crash on April 23.

The crash was reported just after 8:30 p.m. on the 1800 block of Broadway Driver, where pedestrian Ronald Ameral was hit by a driver who stopped at first but then sped off.

Responding officers attempted life-saving measures and fire personnel rushed Ameral to a hospital for treatment, where he later died.

Police investigators collected evidence from the scene of the crash and, with the help of an automotive parts expert, determined that the car involved in the crash was a 2007 or 2008 Infiniti G35. Nearby surveillance video captured by a local business helped police narrow in on the suspect’s car.

Gonzalez was found at his home, where his car was also located, and arrested by police officers. According to the police department, he admitted to hitting Ameral.

Gonzalez was booked into the El Dorado County jail on suspicion of committing a deadly hit-and-run and vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence. His bail was set at $225,000, and he remains in custody as of Saturday, according to records from the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office.

Anyone with information into the crash is asked to call police at 530-642-5210.