Family Mourns Father Of 5 Killed In Hit-And-Run Crash In Costa Mesa

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COSTA MESA (CBSLA) – A hit-and-run crash involving several cars Tuesday night has left a family in Costa Mesa without a father and husband.

A small memorial including a picture, flowers and candles sits in the doorway of 48-year-old Jose Antonio Azpeitia's home, where his family has been left

"My dad was the best person in the entire world," daughter Monique said Wednesday. "He was my hero; he was everything to us."

The family said Azpeitia has just finished watching one of his five children play soccer and was dropping off his brother and niece just after 6 p.m. Tuesday when a driver, who is suspected of being under the influence, rammed into two cars on the southbound 55 Freeway just before Del Mar Road.

Azpeitia wasn't wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, according to police.

Someone saw the suspect's damaged vehicle about a mile from the crash and alerted authorities.

The suspect, a Costa Mesa man, remained in police custody Wednesday night at the Orange County Jail.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family cover funeral costs.