VISTA, Calif. -- A San Marcos man was struck and killed Saturday on State Route 78 in Vista by a hit-and-run vehicle, authorities said.

California Highway Patrol officers cruising west on SR-78 about 2:45 a.m. found the body of Mark Allen Dale, 52, of San Marcos in the middle of the freeway, the county Medical Examiner's Office said.

The CHP got a report of a tall man walking in the right freeway lanes east of Vista Village Drive. A few minutes later, his body was seen lying in the number two lane, CHP dispatch records showed.

Officers found Dale's silver Mercury Cougar on the right shoulder of eastbound Route 78 at the Escondido Avenue offramp, east of Vista Village Drive, which appears to show his car may have broken down, but officers said that was not the case.

"We don't believe there was a mechanical problem with the vehicle so we're not exactly sure why he was stopped on the freeway," said Sgt. Lew Hall of the Oceanside CHP.

Also unclear was why Dale was walking on the opposite side of the freeway. According to the medical examiner, it is clear Dale had extensive blunt force trauma and may have been hit by more than one car.

Kevin Weier was headed home along Rancho Vista Road on his skateboard on Saturday when he noticed a gray, 2005 Ford Expedition with extensive damage on its front and side ends.

"I definitely had a weird feeling about the vehicle when I looked at it because it didn't look like any regular type of damage," Weier told 10News. "It looked very suspicious."

Weier wrote down the license plate number and called police. The SUV has now been seized as evidence.

"We have not had any contact with the registered owner or the driver of this vehicle, and we have been trying to make contact with the driver as of yet, we haven't been able to do so," said Hall.

Officers are now looking for anyone who might have seen what happened and are asking for any witnesses to call the CHP.