Mark Jesse Rodriguez, 58, of Gary, has been charged in connection with a fatal crash at 5th Avenue and Calhoun Street in Gary on Dec. 13, 2025.

The probable-cause affidavit says the crash occurred at about 10:15 p.m. A witness told investigators that a woman got out of a vehicle parked along the road and tried to cross the street when she was struck by a small, blue vehicle. Investigators recovered small blue pieces of a vehicle at the scene.

The Gary Real Time Crime Center reviewed surveillance footage that helped investigators identify the vehicle as a Dodge Journey based on its taillights and body shape. Video reportedly showed the vehicle stop at a gas station in Gary. The driver got out, removed broken pieces from the vehicle’s front end and placed them in the rear cargo area.

Investigators later tracked a blue Dodge Journey with heavy front-end damage entering Hammond at about 9:27 a.m. on Dec. 14. Hammond officers located the vehicle near Gostlin and Calumet, where Rodriguez was identified as the driver and detained.

The vehicle’s owner told investigators that Rodriguez had called her to say he struck a deer and damaged the vehicle. She also said he told her he stopped at a gas station after the crash and removed a bumper that was dragging.

Charge filed September 30, 2026:

Leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death to another person — Level 4 felony