Man charged with fatal hit-and-run crash in Gary

A man has been charged with a hit-and-run crash that left a 16-year-old boy dead Thursday night in northwest Indiana.

Jayden Stewart was riding a bicycle at 15th Avenue and Aetna Street in Gary about 8:20 p.m. Thursday when he was struck by a vehicle that left the scene, according to Gary police and the Lake County coroner’s office.

Stewart, who lived in Gary, was pronounced dead at the scene, authorities said.

A witness provided officers with a description of the vehicle and the number of the license plate, police said.

The driver, 28-year-old Ronnie Lee Merrill Jr. of Gary, was arrested later Thursday night, police said. He was charged with leaving the scene of an accident causing death.