Maui man, 52, charged with negligent homicide in deadly hit-and-run

Prosecutors charged a 52-year-old Lahaina man with first-degree negligent homicide in connection with Saturday’s deadly hit-and-run on Maui.

Saul L. Martinez was charged through felony information today in the death of 73-year-old Agustin Dela Cruz of Lahaina. In addition to negligent homicide, Martinez was also charged with collisions involving death or serious bodily injury, habitually operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant and operating a vehicle after his license was suspended or revoked for operating a vehicle under the influence of an intoxicant.

He is being held at the Maui Community Correctional Center in lieu of $502,000 bail.

The collision occurred on Front Street at Kahoma Kai Stream Bridge shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday. Dela Cruz was riding home from work on his bike at the time of the crash.

Police said a 2004 Ford F-150 truck operated by a driver identified as Martinez was traveling north on the roadway and crossing the bridge when he hit the rear of an Extreme electric bicycle operated by Dela Cruz.

Police said the driver then fled the scene.

Dela Cruz was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he later died.

Police said alcohol was a factor in the crash. Officers arrested Martinez on suspicion of negligent homicide after they located him at a nearby shopping center inside the parked Ford pickup truck.

Records show Martinez was convicted on Jan. 24 — five days before the hit-and-run — for a separate drunken driving case that occurred in November. His driver’s license was revoked for one year and he was scheduled to turn himself in at the correctional facility on Feb. 15 to serve a five-day sentence.

His first conviction for driving under the influence of an intoxicant, a petty misdemeanor, was in September 2020.

A GoFundMe account has been created to help with funeral expenses for Dela Cruz.