HAZLETON, Pa. — A man wanted for a deadly hit and run has turned himself in.
Hazleton city police said 38-year-old Gabriel Hernandez-Mendez hit and killed 15-year-old Hector Padilla nearly two months ago.
Police said Padilla was riding his bike on Poplar Street in the city when Hernandez-Mendez struck the teen with his truck and took off.
Manuel Rojas is Padilla's uncle.
"I know the guy did the right thing by turning himself in, but he needs to pay for what he did," Rojas said.
Officers used surveillance camera photos to track down Hernandez-Mendez, while Padilla's family grieved. They held a vigil earlier in July, hoping someone would come forward to police with answers.
"He was always happy, always joking around, and now that he's missing, it's pretty much like a big hole that we cannot cover or replace," Rojas said.
Hernandez-Mendez faces charges of accidents involving death or injury and failing to stop to render aid.
Rojas said if he could say one thing to the man charged with his nephew's death, it would be the following.
"We don't hate you. We just hate the fact that you ran away and you didn't help him. You don't do that because you don't want that to happen to your kids," Rojas said.
Hernandez-Mendez was released from jail after posting $40,000 bail.
A date for his preliminary hearing has not yet been set.