Moped driver is Oahu’s 30th traffic fatality

Police said “speed and inattention” were likely factors in a Friday traffic collision on Nimitz Highway that left a 43-year-old Aiea man dead.

According to police, the man was operating a Honda moped that crashed into the back of a Toyota Camry as the car slowed for traffic. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the Camry, a 44-year-old Kapolei woman, was not injured.

The incident occurred around 5:50 p.m. near the intersection of Nimitz Highway and Puuloa Road.

There have been 30 traffic-related fatalities on Oahu so far this year, compared to 22 at the same time last year.

SUSPECT CHARGED IN CAR THEFT INVOLVING KOREAN TOURISTS

A man accused of stealing a car with a 9-year-old Korean visitor inside has been charged in connection with the incident.

Kyle Douglas, 35, was charged with auto theft and his bail set at $75,000, according to Honolulu Police Department spokeswoman Michelle Yu. He also was charged in connection with two unrelated warrants.

The incident occurred around 11:23 a.m. Thursday when the boy’s parents left him inside their rental car while they stopped to take photos near the Kailua boat ramp, police said. Douglas reportedly jumped into the car and drove off with the boy inside. The child, who speaks English, asked the man to drop him off at Kalapawai Market and he did so.

The boy was able to give police the car’s license plate number and a description of the vehicle.

Officers located the car after it collided with another vehicle at the intersection of Kamehameha Highway and Mokulele Drive in Kaneohe. Police said the driver fled on foot but was captured a short distance away.