UPDATE | Deputies say they have located the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run that took the life of a 19-year-old man in Hillsborough County. They are speaking with the owner of the truck but no arrests have been made at this time.
The truck was seized and taken to the Crime Scene section for processing.
"There was a feeling that something happened,” said Mariam Abdalla.
This younger sister knew in her gut when her brother didn’t come home Sunday night.
"I just want whoever it is to just you know think about what you did, think about the person that is dead now and think about his family,” she said.
Tonight her family is a step closer to finding the hit and run driver who killed 19-year-old Mostafa Abdalla — stole his perpetual smile from their lives as he walked home from prayers at a local mosque.
"I didn't know it was going to be that fast but I knew that we were going to find him sooner or later,” his sister said.
Investigators say they found the green Dodge Ramp pickup used in the fatal hit and run behind a home in Hillsborough County after a tearful plea from the victim’s father and releasing the truck photos.
Detectives say they’re talking with the pickup’s owner but no arrests have been made.
"Thank you is the least I can say but you know, thank you,” said his sister talking about tipsters.
Mariam says her brother had just moved back home from St. Louis and when he came back, her family took a trip to Clearwater Beach.
This is one of the last photos she has of him smiling.
"When he came back, you know, it was like, it was like, he brought the happiness to the house again,” she said.
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ORIGINAL STORY | Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is looking for the driver in a fatal hit-and-run from earlier this week.
"He was only 19. Life hadn't even started for him yet," said his sister Mariam Abdallah.
Sometime between Oct. 29 at 4:00 p.m. and Oct. 30 at 2:38 a.m., a vehicle hit and killed 19-year-old Mostafa Abdalla while he was walking southbound on Orient Road just north of Hanna Ave.
"Nobody called. Nobody called at all to get him some help like, how heartless can you be," said his sister who believes her brother may have lived if he had gotten immediate medical attention.
Deputies say the unidentified vehicle is a 1998-2002 Dodge full size truck, models 1500, 2500 or 3500 and is metallic green. It is missing its passenger mirror and likely had damage to the right front side.
"Nobody was around him and felt sad. Everybody, when he walked into a room, he lit up with his smile just his smile and that's his legacy now-- his smile," his sister said.
Anyone with any information reference the suspect is asked to call the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office at 247-8200 or anyone with any information regarding the identity and whereabouts of this suspect and who wants to be eligible for a cash reward is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-873-TIPS (8477), report anonymously online at www.crimestopperstb.com or send a mobile tip using our P3 Tips Mobile application, which is a free download for iPhones, iPads and Droids. You must call Crime Stoppers first to be eligible for a reward.
