The Palm Springs Police Department has made an arrest in connection with a fatal hit-and-run case, which has been under investigation since May 2022.
Overwhelming community support, including several tips that led the PSPD Traffic Division to the suspect's red Porsche, aided investigators in identifying the driver as Chad Steinmetz, according to the Palm Springs Police Department Facebook page.
"The Palm Springs Police Department's Traffic Division has made significant progress in a hit-and-run investigation, thanks to valuable community assistance and diligent investigative work," the Facebook report said.
Just about one year ago, the hit-and-run occurred on the morning of May 27, 2022, and claimed the life of Jesse Fleury as he was walking near the area of East Palm Canyon Drive and South Broadmoor Drive. Multiple calls about the accident alerted the department at approximately 6:40 a.m., and officers found Fleury lying on the roadway's dirt shoulder.
Although the driver left the scene, investigators recovered parts from the collision site, which told them they were probably looking for a 2012 to 2016 Porsche 911 Carrera, police said. In June of last year, PSPD recovered a vehicle they suspected of being involved in the hit-and-run but found the registered owner reluctant to cooperate, which made it a challenge to confirm their suspicions. Turning to the community brought new momentum to the case, contributing to the recent arrest of Steinmetz.
"Subsequently, the vehicle involved in the hit-and-run was located at a collision repair center in Cathedral City, allowing the identification of the driver, Chad Steinmetz," PSPD said on Facebook, citing the remarkable community response to their request for tips.
As the investigation continued, the Traffic Division filed a charge against Steinmetz for felony hit-and-run involving injury or death, a charge that the Riverside County District Attorney's Office in Indio approved on May 16. Then, acting on a warrant, a PSPD detective located and arrested Steinmetz in Palm Desert.
"The Palm Springs Police Department would like to extend its sincere appreciation for the outstanding investigative work conducted by the Traffic Division," PSPD said on Facebook. "Despite initially having only vehicle parts left at the scene of the crash, their efforts, combined with the support of the community, enabled the resolution of this case."