U.S. Marshals arrest man for Long Beach hit-and-run crash that killed 78-year-old woman
After more than a year of investigation, authorities arrested a man who was wanted in connection with a hit-and-run crash that killed a 78-year-old woman in Long Beach.
The crash happened at around 4:45 p.m. back on Dec. 26, 2024 near California Avenue and San Antonio Drive, according to a news release from the Long Beach Police Department at the time.
Over the course of their investigation, LBPD Collision Investigation detectives conducted an extensive review of security camera footage and used Automatic License Plate Reader technology to finally identify the suspect as 59-year-old Woodland man Mario Jesus Escobar Acosta.
He was arrested on Jan. 26, 2026 in Sacramento by U.S. Marshals, according to LBPD's news release. Acosta was transported to Long Beach City Jail and booked for hit-and-run resulting in death/injury and was being held in lieu of $50,000 bail, police said.
They said that the victim, since identified as 78-year-old Nikki Rash, was driving through the intersection when she was struck by the hit-and-run driver, behind the wheel of a tan Toyota Avalon, who ran a red light and collided with the side of her car. The driver temporarily got out of his car before fleeing from the area, police said.
Rash, who initially declined being taken to the hospital, died on Jan. 4, 2025 from injuries sustained in the crash. She had taken herself to the hospital a few days after the collision, family members told CBS LA.
Family members of the victim said that she was a volunteer who spent her free time at local children's hospitals with her therapy dogs.