JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville man says he was there the moment a woman was struck and killed by a Jeep while walking along a sidewalk on Bowden Road.
Lt. Rich Bouye, with the Sheriff’s Office, said witnesses told police the Jeep was being in a “haphazard manner” and that the driver was suspected of DUI.
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The Jeep, Bouye said, crossed lanes of traffic, jumped a curb and hit the woman from behind.
Jesse Welsh told News4Jax that he saw the whole thing.
“The car hit the lady walking and her back was turned to us,” Welsh said. “She never saw it coming.”
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Welsh said he was one of several people who kept the driver of the Jeep at the scene until police arrived.
“We did take his keys and I held onto his keys until the police came because the last thing I wanted was for him to try to get back into the car,” Welsh said.
Neighbors told News4Jax the woman could be seen exercising along the sidewalk daily. They said she was just a block away from home and was on her nightly walk.
They said she was engaged and that she was a mother and a caretaker for her own mother.
Anthony Perry Veto, 41, was taken into custody Thursday. Jail records show he’s facing charges including DUI manslaughter.