Sunland Park driver charged in hit-and-run that killed woman

On the eve of Independence Day, Graciela Sahs bought fireworks from a sidewalk stand close to the Sunland Park Racetrack and Casino and proceeded to cross Sunland Park Drive, accompanied by Jorge Daniel Vigil.

Seconds later, the pair were struck by a pickup truck witnesses said was moving at high speed. The driver took off and Sahs, 26, died at the scene while Vigil, whose age was not reported, was transported to an El Paso hospital in critical condition.

On Sunday the alleged driver, Vicente Vasquez, 61, was charged with homicide by vehicle, leaving the scene of an accident involving a death, failure to give information or render aid in a fatal accident and fourth-degree tampering with evidence. He has also been charged with failure to give immediate notice of an accident, a petty misdemeanor.

Vasquez is behind bars at the Doña Ana County Detention Center.

The crash occurred around 10:45 p.m. and witnesses told police the truck, described as a maroon Ford Ranger, drove away from the scene with extensive damage to its front end, according to charging documents.

New Mexico State Police issued an alert to local police and, according to an arrest warrant affidavit, a Sunland Park officer came across a truck matching the description in a neighborhood a few miles away from the crash. Police said a tarp was found covering the truck’s front end and a floor mat obscuring the rear license plate.

The officer knocked on the door of the residence; however, police would not locate Vasquez himself until Saturday.

According to an arrest affidavit, Vasquez submitted to an interview on Saturday after allegedly confessing to family members that he had “killed” someone near the casino the night of July 3. State police allege Vasquez admitted to officers he had struck something he did not see and assumed was a dog, then drove home because he was tired.

Police said he also admitted to covering the vehicle damage “because he didn’t want his friend to see it,” and to placing a floor mat in the bed of his truck, for his cats.

Vasquez, who did not appear to have legal representation as of Tuesday, is set for a hearing to assess conditions of release Thursday. A preliminary hearing is set for next week.