Crime & Safety
Hit-and-Run Driver in Fatal Collision In Custody
Midnight crash on rural Petaluma roads took the life of 17-year old from American Canyon; Vallejo man is suspect according to CHP
The California Highway Patrol has identified a suspect in a hit-and-run crash on a rural road near Petaluma this morning that killed a teenage boy.
The Sonoma County coroner's office has identified the teen as 17-year-old Jahzeel Forsen, of American Canyon.
The 2-car crash was reported around 12:15 a.m. near Lakeville and Old Lakeville roads in Petaluma, according to the CHP.
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CHP Officer Jon Sloat said the suspect was driving a 1969 Ford pickup truck south on Lakeville Road when he ran off the roadway and struck an embankment.
The driver lost control of the truck and swerved into lanes of oncoming traffic, where he struck the driver's side of a northbound 1985 GMC pickup truck, killing the driver, a 17-year-old American Canyon boy, Sloat said.
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Officers responding to the crash found the teen unconscious. He was later pronounced dead.
When both vehicles came to rest, a witness stated that the driver of the GMC exited, then fled the scene on foot.
This description matched that of the registered owner of the Ford, identified as Michael Scott Harmon, 41, of Vallejo. Harmon contacted the Rohnert Park CHP office by phone at 10:00 a.m, and was brought in for questioning.
The deceased driver was identified as Jahzeel Dwayne Forsen, 17, of American Canyon. The investigation is ongoing to determine impairment, and the actions of both drivers.
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