San Antonio driver claimed he hit a deer, he actually hit and killed a well-known runner, police say

A driver in San Antonio allegedly hit a woman while she was jogging and didn’t stop his car, and now the suspect faces criminal charges.

When he was questioned by police, the man claimed that he thought he hit a deer.

Joel Angel Zaragoza, 28, was arrested on a charge of failure to stop and render aid resulting in death, according to KSAT.

He is being held at the Bexar County Jail, and his bond was set at $50,000.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. May 2. Runner Lisa Rosenstein was killed during the hit-and-run, police said.

Her body was discovered in the grass near the shoulder by a bicyclist. They called the police, suspecting the woman had died, as she had no pulse, according to KSAT.

Police said parts of the suspect’s vehicle’s headlamp were located at the scene, which led officers to believe a 2012 to 2014 Ford Focus was involved in the collision.

Surveillance video captured the vehicle driving away from the crash site and traveling along an access road.

The arrest affidavit obtained by KSAT says officers received a tip on May 18 from a citizen about a possible suspect vehicle.

Cops found Zaragoza's car at an apartment complex. It had a repaired headlight and passenger’s side mirror, as well as damage to the right fender and hood, according to the report

Police found Zaragoza outside a Lifetime Fitness gym and questioned him.

Zaragoza told police the damage was from hitting a deer, but he did not know when or where he hit it, according to KSAT.

“I asked the defendant if he could definitively say he hit a deer and he said 'no,'" the affidavit states. 

He also told officers he had a blowout and swerved to the right, striking the deer and his front windshield was “fogged up,” KSAT reported.