The 19-year-old bicyclist who was hit by a car Sunday on Georgia Avenue in Wheaton, Maryland, has died, and Montgomery County police are reiterating their plea for people to keep an eye out for the car that hit him before fleeing the scene.
William Villavicencio was struck Oct. 23 at about 11 p.m. while he was heading across Georgia Avenue at Janet Road, Assistant Police Chief Mark Yamada said at a news conference Friday.
Yamada said that the car is a dark red or maroon Honda Accord from between 2003 and 2007. They found the passenger-side rear view mirror at the scene. He said there would also be damage to the right front bumper.
Yamada said people should keep their eyes peeled no matter where they are: “The problem in cases like this is, the vehicle might not be local. … This vehicle could be anywhere.”
He added that it may have a tarp over it or have plastic covering over damaged areas. He particularly asked any repair shops in the area to be alert for a car matching the description.
Police haven’t found any footage of the accident that could help narrow things down, Yamada said.
Speaking for Villavicencio’s family, the Rev. Paula Moutsos of Pathways Baptist Church in Gaithersburg, said she’d known William most of his life. She said he was coming home from work when he was hit and was looking forward to his 20th birthday in December. She described him as “a happy young man searching to find his way, like most young people.”
She told anyone who knows anything about the incident, “Please, please, please come forward. This was the son of a single mom who’s raised three boys. He was loved; he was a person, and this should not happen.”
Police are asking anyone who sees the wanted car to call the police at 240-773-6620, or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS.
