An Anchorage man is facing manslaughter charges in the hit-and-run death of 30-year-old Brian Pederson on the Old Seward Highway early Sunday morning.
Police arrested 29-year-old Marsean Hadley after finding the license plate of the Ford Explorer he was driving a few feet from Pederson’s body, according to an informational document filed Monday with charges.
Pederson was pronounced dead at the scene of the collision, which occurred near Industry Way just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday, according to a summary of the Anchorage Police Department report included in the document.
Pederson was on foot when he was struck, according to police spokeswoman Renee Oistad. Asked if he was crossing the road or walking along the side, Oistad said in an email that remains under investigation.
A search of the license plate led officers to an address where they contacted Hadley’s fiancée, according to the summary by assistant district attorney David Buettner. Hadley, who was not there, talked briefly by phone with police but did not respond to additional messages from the woman, the summary said.
He eventually arrived at the house in the Explorer, which had visible front-end damage, a broken headlight, and a license plate matching the one left at the scene, Buettner wrote.
Hadley told officers he was on the way home from a party when “something struck his vehicle” and said he did not realize it was a person, the summary said. He admitted he did not stop, but was scared and later pulled over at O’Malley Road to check the damage, it said.
Hadley provided a breath sample about three hours after Pederson was struck that showed his alcohol level at nearly twice the legal limit for driving, according to the police report summary.
He was arrested for driving under the influence and jailed, it said. Hadley was told during a police interview once he was in custody that he had hit a person, and the person had died, according to the summary.
Hadley was arrested on felony manslaughter charges, driving under the influence, failure to render aid, and leaving the scene of an accident.