Man arrested for 2024 fatal hit-and-run in Bixby Knolls, police say
Mario Jesus Escobar Acosta, 59, allegedly left the scene after crashing into a car driven by Nikki Rash, 78, who died of her injuries nine days later, according to authorities.
A 59-year-old Northern California resident has been arrested for allegedly causing a hit-a-run crash in late 2024 that killed a 78-year-old woman, police said Thursday.
Long Beach police say Mario Jesus Escobar Acosta, 59, of Woodland left the scene after crashing into a car driven by Long Beach resident Nikki Rash, 78, on Dec. 26, 2024. Rash died of her injuries days later, according to authorities.
In the crash, Acosta was allegedly driving a tan Toyota Avalon eastbound on San Antonio Drive around 4:45 p.m. when he ran the red light at California Avenue and hit the car driven by Rash, police said after the crash. Acosta briefly got out of his car after the accident, but then got back in and drove away, police added.
Rash declined medical treatment at the scene, but took herself to the hospital a few hours later, according to the LBPD.
Five days after the crash, the LBPD asked for the public's help in finding the hit-and-run driver and circulated a photo of a Toyota Avalon believed to have been in the crash. The photo showed visible damage to the car's hood and front end.
Four days later, on Jan. 4, 2025, Rash died of her injuries, authorities said.
At the time of the crash, investigators said that distracted driving on the part of Acosta was a possible factor in the collision, according to a 2025 LBPD press release.
LBPD Collision Investigation detectives, using security camera footage and Automatic License Plate Reader technology, later identified Acosta as a suspect, police said.
U.S. Marshals arrested Acosta on Monday in Sacramento, according to authorities. He was later booked at Long Beach City Jail for hit-and-run resulting in death/injury, police said.
His bail was set at $50,000, according to the LBPD.
Police are asking anyone with information about the crash to call Collision Investigation Detail Detective Ashley Van Holland at 562-570-7355.
There have been four traffic fatalities reported in the city so far this year, with 58 reported in 2025, according to police statistics.
We need your support.
Subcribe to the Watchdog today.
The Long Beach Watchdog is owned by journalists, and paid for by readers like you. If independent, local reporting like the story you just read is important to you, support our work by becoming a subscriber.
