A vehicle struck a bicyclist who was traveling southbound in the 6200 block of North Charles Street at 10:30 p.m. Monday and just kept going.
Any chance that 20-year old Aaron Laciny would survive ended in the seconds which followed.
"Unfortunately, the young man was struck by a second vehicle who came across the crash scene in the dark. That person did stay with the scene,” said Elise Armacost with the Baltimore County Police Department. “The young man was treated and taken to a nearby hospital with very serious, life-threatening injuries and he died at the hospital last night."
Back in Federal Hill near the victim's home, word of his death reached Light Street Cycles where owner Penny Troutner reacted to the hit-and-run.
"You have to stay at the scene and you have to render aid,” said Troutner. “I mean it's almost sad that it's legislated that you have to render aid. You would expect someone to do that and to just leave them---the mother deserves better."
A former classmate of Laciny's at Baltimore City Community College, Eddie Harris, works at the same shop.
"He graduated (and had) gone on to Hopkins straight shot,” said Harris. “I'm just hearing it for the first time. I didn't even... didn't even know."
A scientific whiz kid of sorts, Laciny graduated from BCCC and had been working at Johns Hopkins combining his talents in research, chemistry and electrical engineering.
"He was one of the better ones. He was one of the better ones, and it's very heartbreaking for me to hear this just because we had this long, enduring time together," said Harris.
A time cut short by a driver in the night who didn't stop to try to save Aaron Laciny's life.
"I feel so badly for the family and friends, and as I said, I'm a mother of young men who bike and it just sends chills,” said Troutner. “We just want to hold our loved ones closer and make this city and this state more bike-friendly with protective bike lanes, because that's the only way this sort of thing is going to stop."
Police say the vehicle that struck Aaron would have damage to the front end and they're asking anyone with information to call them at 410-307-2020.
If you'd like to help Laciny's family, you can find a donation page here.
