BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — The Bakersfield Police Department arrested 26-year-old Eliezer Camacena-Martinez in connection to the hit-and-run crash that killed Estella Andino.
- Video shows the family of Estella Andino mourning and a memorial at the site of her death.
- Serina Valdivia, Andino's daughter, says her family hopes to see the man responsible taken into custody and put behind bars for a long time.
Marina Johnson tells me… her mom, Estella Andino, used to push her on the swings as a kid at Wayside Park.
Now, she does the same with her son who she says will never get the chance to grow up with his grandmother.
“She has four daughters, and none of us thought we’d have to bury our mothers before the age of 30, and we should have had to,” Jesmin Andino-Stevens, Andino's daughter, said.
The Bakersfield Police Department confirmed their officers arrested 26-year-old Eliezer Camacena-Martinez on Wednesday in connection to the crash, which happened on April 13th.
“It’s hard I just keep on thinking of how they told us she was screaming for help," Johnson said. "How could you if you had a heart, how could you just leave her there?”
I reached out to Camacena-Martinez, who told me over the phone, the collision was an accident, but Estella Miranda, Andino's mother, disagrees.
“How could it be an accident if you hit somebody, run them over and keep going? That’s not an accident,” Miranda said.
Camacena also confirms he was arrested and released on bail.
“I’m never gonna see my daughter, so why should be be out in the streets," Miranda added.
Camacena referred me to his lawyer, saying he didn’t want to speak about the case any further.
“I will let you know our client has no prior criminal record and he has a lot of empathy and concern for the family for what has happened to them,” Mark Anthony Raimondo said.
According to BPD, of the eight pedestrian deaths in 2024, seven of them were hit and run crashes.
Compared to a year ago, BPD reports 17 pedestrian deaths with 4 hit and run crashes.
“The crime is not hitting the lady," Raimondo said. "I think the accident was a combination of maybe both their faults, if not all her fault. The crime is if you leave the scene knowing you’ve been in an accident and that’s what we’re investigating at this time.”
Serina Valdivia, Andino's daughter, says her family hopes to see the man responsible taken into custody and put behind bars for a long time.
“Just like he didn’t stop, we’re not gonna stop," she said.
According to court records, no charges have been filed against Camacena so far.
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