Annapolis man indicted by jury for deadly hit-and-run collision that killed a 74-year-old bicyclist

BALTIMORE -- A 64-year-old man has been indicted by an Anne Arundel County jury for allegedly fatally striking a man who was riding his bicycle in Annapolis, Maryland, last year, and then driving away.

John Kaii-Ziegler of Annapolis was indicted by an Anne Arundel County jury on Jan. 12, 2024, for a hit-and-run fatality that occurred on Jan. 24, 2023, according to the Annapolis Police Department.

On the day of the deadly hit-and-run incident, 74-year-old Zarko Paruza was struck in the unit block of Hilltop Lane by what police described as "an unidentified vehicle that left the scene."

Concerned citizens reported seeing a suspicious vehicle parked in their neighborhood the following morning. Those tips gave investigators the information they needed to identify Kaii-Ziegler as a suspect, police said.

The jury indicted Kaii-Ziegler on charges of negligent manslaughter, criminally negligent manslaughter, two counts of leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while impaired, reckless driving, negligent driving, and causing the injury of an individual as the result of operation a vehicle, according to authorities.

Kaii-Ziegler turned himself in at the Annapolis Police Station on Jan. 18. He was arrested and brought to the Anne Arundel County Detention Center for his first court appearance, police said.

Kaii-Ziegler is currently being held without bond at the Jennifer Road Detention Center, according to authorities.