A 42-year-old Indianapolis man has been arrested in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a bicyclist near West Michigan Street and Grande Avenue last month, according to the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. The victim, identified by the Marion County Coroner's Office as 56-year-old Terry Ann Sadberry, died after being struck by a vehicle that fled the scene.
IMPD officers were called to the intersection around 10:30 p.m. on Oct. 4 after the crash was reported, according to FOX59. In a post on X, IMPD
said, “IMPD have arrested a 42-year-old male for his alleged role in a deadly hit-and-run” that occurred near West Michigan Street and Grande Avenue.
Video and License Plate Data Led to a Suspect
Investigators reviewed video footage from nearby businesses and determined the suspect vehicle was likely a black 2017 Honda Civic, the station's report states. An automatic license plate reader then helped officers trace the Civic's plate information, and they determined the car belonged to 42-year-old Juan Antonio Baca Vilchez, per the same account.
Police said the Civic was scuffed with white paint that appeared to match paint on Sadberry's bike rims. Investigators also reported that a phone found in Baca Vilchez's car had pinged off a cell tower roughly 3,600 feet from where Sadberry was found, about 12 minutes before the crash occurred, the outlet notes.
Warrant Issued Late October, Charges Recommended
Court records reportedly show an arrest warrant was issued on Oct. 29. Police documents recommended that Baca Vilchez be formally charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death or serious bodily injury, FOX59 reported. Baca Vilchez was charged with leaving the scene of a crash resulting in death or serious bodily injury.
A City Already Reckoning With Cyclist Deaths
The case adds to what has been a grim stretch for cyclists in Indianapolis. So far in 2026, IMPD has investigated 4,263 hit-and-run crashes, 11 of which were fatal, according to the department's figures cited by FOX59. The previous year, Central Indiana Cycling Executive Director Anthony Cherolis told WFYI that “2025 will set a record for bicycle rider fatalities, with 10 so far this year,” surpassing the city's previous high of seven bicyclist deaths set in 2021.
Separate data from Safe Streets Indy, cited by WRTV, showed 12 people seriously injured in crashes involving a cyclist and a car in 2025, with 177 cyclists reporting being struck by a car that year. As of October 2025, nine cyclists had been struck and killed on Indianapolis roadways, more than double the four fatalities recorded the year before, the station reported.
As with any pending case, the arrest and the alleged charges remain accusations, and Baca Vilchez is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
