16-year-old bicyclist struck, driven 4 miles while trapped on car's roof: Police

A teenage bicyclist in Connecticut remains in critical condition after he was hit by a car and carried more than four miles on the vehicle's roof before the driver allegedly pushed him off and left him lying on the side of the road, police said.

Alex Joel Rivera, 29, is accused of hitting the 16-year-old and fleeing the scene with the teenager still on the vehicle's roof around 9:16 p.m. Friday, Avon police said in a news release shared on the department's Facebook page.

A GoFundMe organized by Jenny Eldridge, who said she is a friend of the teenager's mother, identified the victim as Liam Shields.

"My name is Jenny Eldridge and I'm a close friend of Andrea (Shields). We work together at Uconn Health. Her son had the worst nightmare of her life and was hit while biking in Avon in a hit and run accident," according to the GoFundMe page, which has raised more than $51,000 in donations. "He's fighting for his life with significant injuries. While his family is by his side, we're looking to raise money to support (his) family now and into the future days as they sit by Liam's side and pray for a full recovery."

Liam is a 10th-grade student at Avon High School, according to police and the GoFundMe. He also plays on the school's soccer team.

How did Liam Shields get injured?

Police learned about the incident when someone reported debris in the roadway around the area of Arch Road and Security Drive in Avon, according to the release. Responding officers found a damaged bicycle, loose amounts of candy and a cell phone in the roadway, police said.

The officers determined that a bicyclist was struck by a vehicle and evaded the scene, according to the release. The bicyclist could not be found at the scene, and the roadway was temporarily closed as police investigated, the department said.

Shortly after responding to the incident, police received another call from a witness about an injured teenager on the side of the road. It was quickly determined that the teenager was the struck bicyclist, police said.

Investigators determined the teenager was hit by a red Subaru Forester, and upon impact, he got trapped on the roof of the vehicle and carried a distance of over four miles via local roads to the area, police said. The driver then stopped to push Shields off the roof and "continue on his way," according to the department.

How did Avon police find Liam Shields?

Two good Samaritans who witnessed the red Subaru pulled over on the side of the road eventually saw the vehicle "drive erratically around them a short time later," police said. The good Samaritans returned to the area where they saw the Subaru because they "felt something was wrong," according to the release.

The two would then find the injured teenager and call 911. Police officers administered aid to the teen until emergency responders took him to a hospital, the department said.

Officers were able to find the Subaru, which had heavy front-end damage, thanks to information provided by witnesses, according to police.

Rivera was soon identified as the driver of the vehicle. He was subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree reckless endangerment, evading responsibility and causing physical injury, operating a motor vehicle without a license and two counts of risk of injury to a child, the department said.