A 51-year-old woman from Wild Rose died after a hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle and a passenger vehicle on State Highway 22 in the Town of Belmont, and deputies caught up with the fleeing driver in Waushara County a short time later. The crash was reported at 5:13 p.m. Sunday, with the woman riding as a passenger on the motorcycle when the collision occurred near the Waushara County line, about 30 miles southeast of Stevens Point.
Motorcycle Passenger Dies, Driver Treated at Scene
According to the Stevens Point Journal, the woman was a passenger on the motorcycle and died from her injuries, while the motorcycle's 51-year-old Wild Rose driver was treated for minor injuries at the scene. Deputies determined that the driver of the passenger vehicle fled after the crash, and found the suspected vehicle and stopped it in Waushara County a short time later, the same report states.
Multiple agencies responded to help at the crash scene, including the Wild Rose Fire Department, Aspirus MedAvac, the Waushara County Sheriff's Office, the Portage County Medical Examiner, Gold Cross Ambulance, and the Wisconsin State Patrol, according to Wausau Pilot & Review. The Portage County Sheriff's Office is investigating the crash, per the same report.
Wautoma Man Arrested, Charges Requested
Deputies located and stopped the other vehicle in Waushara County and arrested its driver, identified by WSAW as 30-year-old Jose Zuniga. Wausau Pilot & Review identifies Zuniga as a Wautoma resident who was taken to the Portage County Jail following his arrest.
The sheriff's office said it is requesting charges of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, hit-and-run causing injury, and operating while intoxicated, according to WSAW's report. As of Monday morning, Zuniga remained in custody, but the Stevens Point Journal reported that charges had not yet been filed.
A Yahoo-hosted version of the Stevens Point Journal's coverage noted that the paper was withholding the arrested man's name until he is formally charged, reflecting a difference in how outlets have handled identification of the suspect at this stage of the case. Authorities have not released the deceased woman's name, and no additional information about the circumstances leading to the crash has been made public.
