$10,000 Reward Offered in Fremont Hit-and-Run Case

A close friend of a bicyclist critically injured in a hit-and-run in August is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the identity, arrest and conviction of the driver responsible, Fremont police announced Tuesday.

According to the Fremont Police Department, John Vigdal, 56, of Fremont, was riding his bike in the southbound bike lane of Fremont Boulevard just south of Warm Springs Boulevard at 5:42 a.m. on Aug. 8 when he was struck by a black Toyota Camry. The driver did not stop or return to the scene of the collision. 

Vigdal was wearing his helmet but still suffered major head injuries. He was transported to a local trauma center and remains hospitalized.

Vigdal has “continued to show signs of improvement but his full recovery is still unknown,” police said in a Nixle alert.

The close friend, who has asked to remain anonymous, is hoping the reward will spark interest in the case, police said.

The $10,000 reward will remain available for six months. 

The victim’s daughter has also relocated from the east coast to the Bay Area to stay by her father’s side, according to police.

“The person who did this has affected the lives of our entire family, not only will my dad’s life never be the same, but our lives have also changed forever.  We want this person held accountable and we can’t allow this to happen in our community,” Alexis Vigdal Fernandez told Fremont police. “It has been really tough to leave my new husband of four months behind and my dad doesn’t even remember the wedding.” 

Fremont police are asking for the public’s help in locating the suspect. The suspect vehicle is believed to be a black 1992 to 1996 Toyota Camry, with damage to the right front bumper. The car may have been taken to a body shop for repairs following the hit-and-run collision.

“We believe that someone in our community or a nearby city has information that would help us and we hope that the reward will help motivate anyone with that information to come forward,” Fremont police spokeswoman Geneva Bosques said.

Anyone with information about the collision is asked to call for Traffic Officer A. Zambonin at (510) 790-6800 or leave a tip at www.fremontpolice.org/tip.