Police locate suspect in hit-and-run crash that killed Roseville man

EASTPOINTE — Detectives with the Eastpointe Police Department have tracked down the suspect in a hit-and-run crash that left a Roseville man dead in Eastpointe.

The incident occurred at 12:13 a.m. Sept. 25 when police were called to the area of northbound Gratiot Avenue near Chestnut Avenue on report of a man down. They found the 31-year-old man lying on the pavement between the middle and right travel lanes of Gratiot Avenue. Police said that he was deceased.

According to Eastpointe Police Detective Lt. Alexander Holish, it appears the man had been crossing Gratiot Avenue on foot when he was struck by a silver four-door sedan, later determined to be a Honda Accord from the 2010s.

Police collected evidence that reportedly indicates the vehicle stopped briefly once the driver realized he had struck a person. The driver then allegedly fled northbound. The vehicle had damage to its front and the top of the hood.

“There was also windshield damage, on the passenger side,” Holish said. “At first, since it had been late at night, we weren’t sure if the sparkling we saw on the windshield may have been water catching the light, but we were later able to determine that there was in fact windshield damage on the passenger side.”

These clues helped authorities track down a suspect.

“Our detectives watched numerous surveillance cameras along Gratiot Avenue to follow the vehicle along, and then we utilized the Flock camera system on our traffic lights to see cars and license plates,” Holish said. “We were able to match the license plate to the car due to the damage, and then we found the guy lived in Warren. We drove there and found the car, knocked on the door and made contact with the suspect. We then interviewed him, he made some statements, and we took him into custody.”

Police identified the suspect as Adib Mikha Estefo, 52, of Warren. He was arraigned Sept. 27 in Eastpointe 38th District Court by Judge Kathleen Galen on a felony count of failure to stop at an accident resulting in serious impairment or death. He is being held on a $75,000 cash or surety bond.

At press time, Estefo had no attorney on record with the 38th District Court. He requested a court-appointed attorney.