A 23-year-old Orlando man has been arrested five months after allegedly hitting and killing a teenager who was riding a bike just a few blocks from his home.
Orange County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested Jared Ryan Prochazka in the hit-and-run death of 13-year-old Gabriel Ortiz on December 22.
Ortiz had been riding his bicycle along Montello Drive when he was hit and struck by a vehicle that crossed over the center line and into the oncoming lane, according to law enforcement authorities.
Ortiz was pronounced deceased at Arnold Palmer Hospital.
Through weeks of investigation and a combined effort from Florida Highway Patrol Traffic Homicide Investigators and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, Prochazka was located and arrested.
According to the arrest affidavit, Prochazka lives on Nicoma Lane, less than a mile from where the accident took place.
Prochazka is charged with leaving the scene involving death and vehicular homicide.
In the months since his death, friends, family, and members of the Orange County Public School system have shown an outpouring of love for the young man, who was known to be a giving person, and established a foundation in his honor.
To find out more information about the group, or to make a donation to help students in need, visit A Gift From Gabe Foundation.