An 85-year-old San Juan Capistrano man was arrested Monday after deputies say he struck and killed a 23-year-old man crossing Ortega Highway and then fled the scene, leaving the victim lying in the roadway near a stretch of road that runs directly past a local school.
The crash happened around 12:30 a.m. near La Novia Avenue on State Route 74, roughly half a mile east of Interstate 5 and directly adjacent to St. Margaret's Episcopal School, according to Johnson Attorneys Group. As reported by CBS Los Angeles, deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Department found the victim, identified as 23-year-old Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz of Los Angeles, lying in the road after he was struck while crossing. Orange County Fire Authority personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators say the driver did not remain at the scene of the collision. Deputies later identified the driver as Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, and he was arrested and booked on hit-and-run charges Monday, per the same account from CBS Los Angeles. The sheriff's Major Accident Investigation Team says its investigation into the crash continues, and it is asking anyone with information to call 949-425-1860.
Who Is Anthony Kalomas
Public healthcare regulatory records reviewed by ProPublica identify Kalomas as the long-serving administrator and sole owner of Rowland Convalescent Hospital Inc., a 126-bed skilled nursing facility in Covina. Federal records cited in those healthcare registries show Kalomas has held primary managerial control over the facility since April 1980, meaning he has run the Los Angeles County nursing home for more than four decades.
Zuniga Ruiz, the man killed in the crash, worked as an independent commercial driver. Federal motor carrier safety filings show he was listed as the primary contact and sole driver for Ruiz Trucking LLC, an intrastate carrier he registered in Los Angeles in February 2024, according to records from FMCSA BrokerSnapshot.
A Highway With a Dangerous History
Under California Vehicle Code Section 20001, fleeing the scene of a crash involving injury or death is a wobbler offense that can be charged as a felony carrying up to four years in state prison and fines of up to $10,000, according to the Kraut Law Group. The law requires all involved drivers to stop, exchange information, and render aid regardless of who caused the initial collision. It remains unclear what specific formal charges the Orange County District Attorney's Office may ultimately file, and what evidence led investigators to identify Kalomas's vehicle has not been disclosed.
The stretch of Ortega Highway where the crash occurred has long carried a grim reputation. Historically, State Route 74 has recorded a collision rate roughly double, and a fatality rate four times higher, than the statewide average for two-lane rural highways, according to California Highway Patrol and Caltrans evaluations cited by the Los Angeles Times. Caltrans and Orange County transportation authorities have been carrying out a $96 million safety improvement project along the corridor, widening lanes to 12 feet, expanding shoulders, and installing rumble strips at a bottleneck where the road narrows from four lanes to two near San Juan Capistrano. Hoodline has previously reported a fatal Ortega rollover and, days ago, a dramatic rescue along the same mountain pass.
Pedestrian Safety Rules and Countywide Trends
Under California's Freedom to Walk Act, which took effect in January 2023, pedestrians are legally permitted to cross roadways outside marked crosswalks without citation unless an immediate collision danger exists, according to the California Legislative Counsel. It is not stated whether Zuniga Ruiz was crossing at a marked crosswalk when he was struck.
Orange County recorded 17,734 total traffic-related fatalities and injuries in 2022, including 883 pedestrian casualties, ranking it among California's top eight counties for total crash victims, per data from the California Office of Traffic Safety. Statewide, California led the nation with 1,106 pedestrian deaths in 2023, and national research from the Governors Highway Safety Association indicates roughly a quarter of all U.S. pedestrian fatalities involve hit-and-run drivers. The Orange County Sheriff's Department has said it regularly conducts grant-funded traffic safety patrols in San Juan Capistrano aimed at speeding and crosswalk compliance, with funding from the state traffic safety office supporting high-visibility enforcement along high-volume corridors.
The Major Accident Investigation Team's inquiry into Monday's crash remains open, and anyone with information is urged to come forward.
