After three months of searching for the driver who fatally hit a recent Northeastern University graduate and then fled the scene, police finally got a tip earlier this month.
That phone call tip led them to Colin Ratiu, 23, of Roslindale, who was ordered held on $7,500 cash bail during his arraignment yesterday for motor vehicle homicide.
Authorities said that Ratiu was driving a Hyundai Santa Fe just before midnight Nov. 14. The car struck 23-year-old Andy Prior as he rode his motorized scooter near the Roxbury Crossing T stop.
On multiple occasions, Boston police released surveillance video of the car fleeing the scene and asked for the public’s help.
In an arrest report, police said Ratiu told the owner of the Santa Fe he borrowed that the car was damaged when he swerved to avoid a skunk and hit something.
Authorities withheld the name of the person who owned the car, but a public listings search of the Roslindale address on the car’s registration returned the names Gena and Jena Ratiu. Their relationship with Colin Ratiu was not immediately clear.
