A hit-and-run suspect wanted for nearly 30 years has been arrested after a New Jersey man recognised him while watching a rerun of America’s Most Wanted.
Gerardo Garcia-Michel was identified by Des Moines police as the man suspected of killing 64-year-old Leslie Ruby in Iowa in September 1997. He was arrested in New Jersey on August 26 and is being held as a fugitive from justice while authorities work to extradite him to Iowa.
Ruby, a married Korean War veteran and grandfather, was crossing the road outside his Des Moines home on a riding lawn mower after cutting his daughter’s grass when he was struck by a car.
The vehicle, described as large and dark-coloured, had no number plates and did not stop. Neighbour Dan Anderson said Ruby was carried about 150ft by the impact.
“The car continued on, didn’t even stop to help,” Des Moines Police Sergeant Paul Parizek said in a video released by the department.
Investigators later found a parked vehicle matching the description, with extensive damage to its bumper and windscreen. Tracing its purchase led police to Garcia-Michel, who was 28 at the time, but they believed he had fled to Southern California, where he had family.
That lead proved fruitless. Garcia-Michel’s case was featured on America’s Most Wanted the following year, prompting several tips, but none initially led to his arrest.
America’s Most Wanted rerun leads to arrest
On August 4, police received a Crime Stoppers tip from a man in New Jersey who said Garcia-Michel was his neighbour. The tip included a recent photograph.
“He had certainly aged, but we compared those photographs, and we were pretty confident,” Sergeant Parizek said.
New Jersey authorities followed up the information and arrested Garcia-Michel, according to Ocean County Jail records. Police said he had evaded arrest by slightly changing his name and date of birth over the years.
Ruby died just months before he was due to celebrate his 40th wedding anniversary with his wife, Patricia. She died three years after him, while their only daughter, Shirley, died in 2013.
Ruby’s granddaughter, Shonna, said her family had continued to hope for justice.
“They both would have wanted to find some kind of justice in this,” she said, referring to her grandparents.
She added: “I think they would’ve been happy now, and they can finally rest in peace knowing that almost 30 years later people don’t give up on you.”
Sergeant Parizek said the length of time since the death had not diminished the importance of the investigation.
“It doesn’t matter if its 29 minutes, 29 days or 29 years after a crime. Getting answers for the family is one of the most important things we can do as an organization, and our detectives work hard every day to do that,” he said.
