ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Police received a call shortly after 10:00 on Tuesday night of an injured person lying in the road on Hilltop Lane near Merryman Road in Annapolis.
“They responded to the scene and located our victim, Zarka Peruza, a 74-year-old male from Annapolis,” said Cpl. David Stokes of the Annapolis Police Department. “Paramedics arrived on the scene, attempted life-saving measures and unfortunately, they were unsuccessful and the man died on the scene from his injuries.”
Peruza had been travelling home on his bicycle from the nearby Safeway store where he had just finished his shift.
Co-workers are grief-stricken by the loss of a man who had endeared himself to all with his sharp wit and compassionate demeanor.
“People stop if they hit a squirrel or a rabbit,” said Scott Harding, a bicycling enthusiast as he stood outside the store, “If they hit a deer that damages their vehicle, of course they stop, but when they hit a human being, they just leave a person on the side of the road. I mean I just don’t know what’s going on with society these days. You just don’t do that.”
Peruza’s family says he left his homeland of Croatia decades ago to come to this country and made Maryland’s capital city his home.
They have started a GoFundMe account to help pay for his cremation and funeral services, while the search continues for the motorist who struck him and just kept going.
If you witnessed the accident or have any information about the vehicle, which left the scene, police want to hear from you.
“Officer Coe, he’s our crash reconstructionist in this case,” added Stokes. “They can reach him at 410-268-9000."
