TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Police Department (TPD) has made an arrest in connection with the hit-and-run crash that killed a USPS mail carrier Monday afternoon.
Just before 3 p.m. on Monday, Tampa Police responded to the report of a traffic crash at the intersection of River Cove Street and Mulberry Street. Officers arrived to find an overturned USPS mail delivery truck.
The USPS driver, 69-year-old Paul Falica, was pronounced dead on scene due to injuries sustained in the crash.
Evidence indicated that the USPS truck was traveling east on River Cove Street when it was struck by a southbound vehicle.
Witnesses reported seeing a Mercedes sedan leave the scene after hitting the USPS truck. Evidence collected at the scene was part of a bumper insert commonly used in some 1998-2003 Mercedes Benz sedan models.
An anonymous tip submitted to TPD suggested that 56-year-old Christopher Prater was involved in the hit-and-run crash. Following up on this tip and additional leads, detectives located the suspect vehicle parked in the driveway of 8412 N. 16th Street.
Detectives contacted Prater, who was residing at the residence, where he said that his roommate had been driving the vehicle but was no longer in the area.
The vehicle's owner informed investigators that he parked the vehicle at the location a few days prior. The owner did not authorize anyone to drive his vehicle and provided keys to Prater to keep at the residence in case the car needed to be moved.
A search warrant was later obtained for the vehicle, which was towed to TPD's impound lot.
Fingerprints recovered from inside matched Prater's, and a debit card with his name was found inside. The oil pan cover was missing from underneath and there was visible damage to the front bumper consistent with impact from a crash.
Additional evidence contradicted Prater's statement, including nearby video surveillance showing Prater entering and exiting the vehicle before and after it returned with front-end damage consistent with that found at the crash scene. Witnesses also identified Prater as being seen wearing clothing matching what he had on in video footage on the same day as the crash occurred.
Based upon the evidence, Prater was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with death and driving while license canceled, suspended, revoked (death or serious bodily injury). He was transported to Falkenburg Road Jail.
