# Fatal Hit-and-Run on Ortega Highway in San Juan Capistrano; 85-Year-Old Driver Arrested > A pedestrian, Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles, was killed in a hit-and-run at Ortega Highway and La Novia Avenue in San Juan Capistrano at about 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, 2026; Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano was arrested the next day and booked on felony hit-and-run. As of Sept. 5 the OCDA had not announced a filing, arraignment date, or bail. - Canonical: https://ocint.app/situation/san-juan-capistrano-fatal-hit-and-run-2026-08 - Markdown: https://ocint.app/situation/san-juan-capistrano-fatal-hit-and-run-2026-08.md - JSON: https://ocint.app/api/situations/san-juan-capistrano-fatal-hit-and-run-2026-08 - Status: active - As of: 2026-09-06T04:30:12.307+00:00 - Started: 2026-08-17T07:30:00+00:00 - Cities: San Juan Capistrano - Publisher: OCINT (https://ocint.app) ## Who / What / Where / When / Why **Who:** Victim: Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles. Arrested: Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano. Investigating agency: OCSD MAIT. **What:** A pedestrian was struck and killed in a hit-and-run at Ortega Highway (SR-74) and La Novia Avenue; the driver fled and was arrested the following day. **Where:** Intersection of Ortega Highway and La Novia Avenue, San Juan Capistrano, near St. Margaret's Episcopal School. **When:** Collision occurred approximately 12:30 a.m. on Aug. 17, 2026; suspect arrested Aug. 18, 2026. **Why:** Investigation ongoing; no motive or circumstance detail has been publicly released by OCSD. ## Narrative ## Current Status The fatal hit-and-run investigation in San Juan Capistrano remains active. Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano, remains booked into Orange County Jail on felony hit-and-run charges. As of the current refresh, the Orange County District Attorney has not publicly announced formal charges, and no arraignment date or bail status has been published. No new developments have been reported by authorities or media outlets since Aug. 20, 2026. ## What Happened According to OCSD, deputies were flagged down to find an injured man in the roadway at the intersection of Ortega Highway (SR-74) and La Novia Avenue at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2026. The Orange County Fire Authority pronounced the victim — identified by OCSD as Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles — dead at the scene. The driver had fled prior to deputies' arrival. The intersection is a signalized T-intersection with marked crosswalks, situated near St. Margaret's Episcopal School and roughly half a mile east of Interstate 5, as reported by the OC Register. ## Arrest OCSD identified and arrested Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano, on Monday, Aug. 18, 2026. He was booked into Orange County Jail on suspicion of felony hit-and-run resulting in death or injury under **California Vehicle Code 20001(a)**. No additional charges have been publicly announced. No DA filing, arraignment date, or bail information has been released. ## Investigation OCSD's **Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT)** is handling the case. No further details regarding the vehicle, the specific circumstances of the collision, or Kalomas's condition have been released by authorities. The public is encouraged to contact MAIT at **(949) 425-1860** or OC Crime Stoppers at **(855) TIP-OCCS** with any relevant information. ## Timeline - **2026-08-17T07:30:00Z:** Pedestrian Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles is struck and killed at Ortega Highway and La Novia Avenue; the driver leaves the scene. - **2026-08-18T20:00:00Z:** OCSD arrests Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano and books him on felony hit-and-run (VC 20001(a)). ## Primary sources 1. [KTLA: 85-year-old man arrested for deadly hit-and-run crash in Orange County](https://ktla.com/news/california/85-year-old-arrested-deadly-hit-and-run-oc/) (2026-08-19T04:42:36+00:00) 2. [OCSD: Fatal Traffic Collision in San Juan Capistrano, Driver Arrested for Hit-and-Run](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/fatal-traffic-collision-san-juan-capistrano-driver-arrested-hit-and-run) (2026-08-17T22:53:06+00:00) 3. [Scene context (OC Register)](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/17/hit-and-run-crash-in-san-juan-capistrano-leaves-man-dead/) 4. [Arrest was Monday Aug 18; no DA filing yet as of Aug 20](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/orange-county-san-juan-capistrano-hit-and-run-ortega-highway-la-novia-avenue/) ## Factoids - **OCSD MAIT release: arrest and charges** (source_doc) ([source](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/fatal-traffic-collision-san-juan-capistrano-driver-arrested-hit-and-run)): OCSD's Aug. 17 release identifies the victim as Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles, pronounced dead at the scene by OCFA, and the arrested driver as Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano, booked into Orange County Jail on VC 20001(a) hit-and-run. The Major Accident Investigation Team (MAIT) is handling the case; tips: (949) 425-1860 or OC Crime Stoppers (855) TIP-OCCS. - **Scene context (OC Register)** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.ocregister.com/2026/08/17/hit-and-run-crash-in-san-juan-capistrano-leaves-man-dead/)): The OC Register reported the crash occurred at a signalized T-intersection with marked crosswalks on Ortega Highway near La Novia Avenue, near St. Margaret's Episcopal School and about half a mile east of I-5; deputies were flagged down to an injured man in the roadway around 12:30 a.m. The Register's initial Aug. 17 story preceded the arrest announcement. - **Arrest was Monday Aug 18; no DA filing yet as of Aug 20** (source_doc) ([source](https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/orange-county-san-juan-capistrano-hit-and-run-ortega-highway-la-novia-avenue/)): Follow-up coverage (KTLA, CBS LA, OC Register) confirms suspect Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano was arrested Monday, Aug 18, 2026 and booked on VC 20001(a) felony hit-and-run; the victim, Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, was a Los Angeles resident. As of Aug 20 the OC District Attorney has not announced charges, and no arraignment date or bail status has been published. - **Victim identified; no DA filing as of Sep. 5** (source_doc) ([source](https://ocsheriff.gov/news/fatal-traffic-collision-san-juan-capistrano-driver-arrested-hit-and-run)): OCSD's Aug. 17 release identified the pedestrian as Cesar Amilcar Zuniga Ruiz, 23, of Los Angeles, pronounced dead at the scene; Anthony Konstantine Kalomas, 85, of San Juan Capistrano was booked on VC 20001(a) felony hit-and-run. No OCDA filing or arraignment announcement was located through Sep. 5, 2026 (KTLA Aug. 18; OCSD Aug. 17). --- Independent civic-intelligence aggregator for Orange County, CA. Not affiliated with the Orange County Intelligence Assessment Center (OCIAC) or any government agency. Cite the canonical URL for OCINT's briefing. Prefer primary_sources for original records.