Family mourns Visalia man killed in hit-and-run crash

VISALIA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Friends and family are grieving the loss of a Visalia man who was killed in a hit-and-run crash Sunday evening.

The 43-year old was riding a motorcycle at the time, and the California Highway Patrol says the driver of a Toyota Camry ran from the scene after the crash but turned himself into police in Lindsay the next day.

Friends and family of Jeremiah, or Miah, Mills are struggling to understand this overwhelming loss. Doug Mills said he was in shock when he found out his son died Sunday night. He took a flight from Reno to San Jose, then got a ride to Visalia.

"From this trip down here, I've noticed there's an awful lot of people who knew him and loved him for who he was," Doug said.

Mills says Jeremiah was a good-hearted guy but also a tough one. He didn't back down from anything and always had others' backs too. The 43-year-old was a father, a husband, a bodybuilder, an athlete and a motorcycle-lover.

He was also a member of two different organizations that ride in honor of fallen heroes, law enforcement and first-responders. Now, family members have set up a GoFundMe page in honor of Mills to help with funeral expenses.

"Jeremy was such a tough bodybuilder and a tough guy," Doug said. "You just wouldn't expect anything like that to happen, but that's life, things happen."

At around 6 p.m. Sunday night, the California Highway Patrol said Mills was riding west on Highway 137, near Lindsay, when the driver of a Camry turned right in front of him. Mills hit the back of the car and was thrown off the bike. He died at the scene, while the driver of the Camry, 25-year-old Armando Cisneros of Lindsay, ran away but turned himself in Monday afternoon.

Doug said his son was the kind of guy who would always show up and be there. So he'll be in town, for as long as it takes to get through this painful loss.

Visalia CHP is asking anyone with information about this crash to call their office.