Crime & Safety

Hit-and-Run Crash Kills Bicyclist on Highway 101

Three people were riding early Sunday morning when one was hit. The cyclist was flown to a hospital in La Jolla but later died.

A 47-year-old bicyclist was killed early Sunday morning in Leucadia by a hit-and-run driver that was last seen driving northbound on Highway 101, according to the sheriff's department.

James Steven Swarzman of Encino was pronounced dead at despite aggressive resuscitative efforts, according to the medical examiner’s office.

Swarzman and two other cyclists were riding northbound in the 1300 block of Highway 101 around 1 a.m. when he was struck by a vehicle that was described as a newer-model, blue Ford F-150, according to the sheriff's department. Evidence at the scene indicates that the vehicle will have obvious front-end damage. According to the sheriff’s department, a witness following the vehicle saw it drift between lanes before hitting the cyclist from behind.

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Swarzman was transported to the hospital via Mercy Air, where he was pronounced dead at 4:09 a.m.


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