MA State Police arrest man in fatal crash that killed 22-year-old after witness followed suspect

A Massachusetts man has been arrested after a fatal pedestrian crash.

According to Dave Procopio of Massachusetts State Police, shortly after 1 a.m. today Massachusetts State Police patrols responded to a hit-and-run crash on Storrow Drive that resulted in the death of a pedestrian. State Troopers subsequently located the driver, who was determined to be under the influence, and took him into custody.

The suspect was arrested after another motorist who witnessed him driving away from the crash followed him to Lynn and notified State Police.

Preliminary investigation by MSP personnel indicates that at approximately 1:03 a.m., a young adult male was, for reasons still under investigation, was walking on Storrow Drive near the off-ramp to the Tobin Bridge and Interstate 93 north. The young man was struck by a motor vehicle that then fled the scene.

Boston EMS and State Police Troop H patrols responded immediately and performed emergency first aid, but the victim was determined to be deceased at the scene. The victim is identified as Brandon Jennings, 22, of Marlborough.

State Troopers from the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and Crime Scene Services Section, as well as detectives from Troop H and the State Police Detective Unit for Suffolk County, responded to process the scene and continue the investigation.

Meanwhile, a motorist driving behind the suspect vehicle, a gray 2007 Honda Accord, followed it after it fled from the crash. The witness followed the Accord all the way to an apartment building on Centre Street in Lynn and provided its location and license plate to police.

State Police personnel from Troop A and Troop H immediately descended upon Centre Street in Lynn and located Miguel Rodriguez, 36, walking in the parking lot. Rodriguez was in possession of the key to the Accord, and additional investigating corroborated that he had been using the car, which is registered to another man.

An MSP Sergeant administered a portable breath test to Rodriguez. The test registered a blood alcohol content of .119 roughly two hours after the crash.

Based on the totality of evidence, including physical evidence and witness statements, Troopers arrested Rodriguez and transported him to the State Police-Boston Barracks. He is being charged with motor vehicle homicide while operating under the influence of liquor, operating under the influence of liquor, leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in injury or death, and failure to stop or yield.

A bail commissioner set bail for Rodriguez, who posted and was released. He was ordered to appear in the Boston Municipal Court-Central Division on Monday for arraignment. The investigation by State Police is ongoing. The case will be prosecuted by the office of Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden.