SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — San Diego police are still searching for the driver who they believe hit and killed 61-year-old Celeste Necochea in a hit-and-run crash on Sea World Drive around midnight last Saturday.
Necochea was a well-known and beloved member of the Ocean Beach community who had been unhoused for more than a decade, calling Voltaire Street home.
"Everybody knew Celeste - everybody on this block I can speak for- knew Celeste," said Robert Shamoun, owner of OB Quik Stop.
Every business and resident I spoke to had fond memories of Necochea, describing her as someone who gave back to the community despite her circumstances.
"She was a very kind, intelligent, and helpful person," said Anthony Ciulla, who knew Celeste.
Community members said Necochea would pick up scraps on the side of the road and accept food from kind strangers. Despite her situation, she found ways to help others.
"She'd always want to volunteer and sweep our parking lots for us," Shamoun said.
People who knew her said Necochea would leave a $10 bill at businesses that supported her and walk away before being seen.
"I witnessed her giving what little she had to other homeless people to help them out. So when I heard she had passed this way, I was very heartbroken," Ciulla said.
San Diego Police believe Necochea was the victim of a hit-and-run on Sea World Drive. Police said the driver rear-ended someone else, pushing their car off the road, and then fled the scene.
Officers arrived and cleared the area, but no one saw Necochea's body on the side of the road until 12 hours later. By then, she had died in the bushes nearby.
"Unfortunately maybe she was alive, maybe she wasn't though. That's what makes this even more sad," Shamoun said.
"It made me sad to think somebody couldn't be around their loved ones and have comfort in their last moments," Ciulla said.
Sea World Drive was closed for five hours as police gathered evidence for their investigation. The Medical Examiner's Office said it's still unknown how or when Necochea died.
"It's tragic. Nobody deserves to go through what she went through," Shamoun said.
The investigation continues as the Ocean Beach community mourns the loss of someone they saw struggle but loved anyway.
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