Police identify man hit, killed by truck in Salt Lake City

SALT LAKE CITY — A 20-year-old man died after a truck hit him and drove away early Wednesday, according to Salt Lake City police.

The victim, later identified as Juan Mattias Ottoniel, was found by officers minutes after the collision near 15 West and 400 South while police were on an unrelated call.

Police officers performed lifesaving measures until medical teams arrived to take Ottoniel to the hospital, where police said he later died.

Ottoniel was hit while in the crosswalk, and witnesses told police that he was dragged for some distance by the vehicle. Police began searching for a privately owned garbage truck that may have been involved in the crash on Wednesday morning.

On Thursday, the Salt Lake City Police Department said it had located the vehicle and the driver believed to be involved in the crash and that the driver was cooperating with the investigation.

Salt Lake City police said they used both surveillance images and automatic license plate reader technology to track down the suspect. Between August 2021 and July of this year, the department used the technology in 6,474 cases. The most common types of cases in which the agency uses it are stolen vehicles, assaults, hit-and-run incidents, homicides and robbery cases.

A GoFundMe* has been set up to help pay for a memorial for Ottoniel, along with living expenses for his pregnant widow. As of Thursday afternoon, the fund had already reached more than $8,000.*

*KSL.com does not assure that the money deposited to the account will be applied for the benefit of the persons named as beneficiaries. If you are considering a deposit to the account, you should consult your own advisers and otherwise proceed at your own risk.

Contributing: Daniella Rivera, KSL

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