SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - An Allied Gardens man is out of the hospital and appealing for tips after a hit-and-run crash in Tierrasanta killed his wife of 38 years.
The crash happened on Oct. 21, just before 7:30 p.m.
Jay Carotenuti was riding his three-wheel Harley-Davidson motorcycle with his wife, Carol, in the back. They were a few miles from home, riding back from a Halloween party.
“As we were going around, I say, ‘Beautiful night, isn’t it?’ She said,’Yes, it is,’” said Carotenuti.
A few minutes later, as they headed south on West Hills Parkway near Carlton Oaks Drive, Jay remembers being thrown off his bike, tumbling down the road.
“I stopped rolling and went to sit up, and realized I couldn’t move, and turned around, and she was laying in the road next to me,” said Carotenuti, choking back tears.
A good Samaritan, and then paramedics, arrived soon after.
Carotenuti suffered a fractured arm, which required surgery, along with an indescribable heartbreak.
In the hospital that night, Jay learned Carol, a mother of three and grandmother of three, had died from her injuries.
“She was happy, selfless, and caring,” said Carotenuti.
Jay says he and his 68-year-old wife, a longtime nurse, had decided to purchase the motorcycle two years ago. The two had logged 36,000 miles in trips.
“She loved it. It brought us closer together… When she was on it, she had a smile on her face, worth a million dollars,” said Carotenuti.
Police say on that fateful night, the motorcycle they both loved, was rear-ended by a Honda Accord.
Citing surveillance video, police say the person behind the wheel stopped briefly, before taking off. That Honda was found abandoned a short distance away.
“How could someone in their right mind do it? You had to know hurt someone. What kind of person could do that?” said Carotenuti.
Jay is now sharing his wife's story in hopes of tracking down a hit-and-run driver.
“Someone has to account for it. I just need closure, justice for my wife,” said Carotenuti.
Anyone with information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
