An Ocean Beach man pleaded guilty Thursday to felony hit and run in which he struck a Good Samaritan who was helping a stranded couple on Sunset Cliffs Boulevard.
Jaron Blake Hillyer, 27, faces up to one year in jail with probation conditions, said Deputy District Attorney Kristie Nikoletich.
San Diego Superior Court Judge Eugenia Eyherabide set sentencing for July 20. Hillyer remains free on $20,000 bond.
Julio Vasquez was driving in the 2900 block of Sunset Cliffs Blvd. with his wife and children around midnight on April 9 when he saw a couple whose vehicle broke down. He was standing near the couple’s disabled car when he was hit by Hillyer’s vehicle at 12:06 a.m. near Nimitz Boulevard. Hillyer did not stop and kept going.
Defense attorney Greg Turner said it was possible Hillyer panicked at the time. He said earlier that Hillyer wanted him to tell reporters “his thoughts are with the other person and his family.” There are no charges that allege he was driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Hillyer’s Subaru had a smashed windshield and was found in front of a house on Orchard Avenue in Ocean Beach where he was living at the time. He was arrested May 7. Vasquez lost his job as he was too injured to work, according to interviews he made with several television stations. His lung was punctured and he was hospitalized.