Driver charged in 100 mph hit-and-run that decapitated bicyclist on busy Miami causeway

A Hialeah man surrendered Monday to face allegations he killed a bicyclist in an early morning hit-and-run car crash on the MacArthur Causeway last fall.

Authorities say Ledisnier Pordomingo-Lopez, 35, was the man behind the wheel of a Dodge Charger that killed Steven Robert Williams, who was believed to be homeless and was riding a bike along the busy causeway around 1:30 a.m on Aug. 10.

The crash was so violent that Williams, 50, was decapitated, police said. The Charger was traveling over 100 miles per hour, according to an arrest warrant released on Monday.

The car, trying to avoid heavy traffic westbound, swerved onto the shoulder and smashed into Williams at about 1:20 a.m.

Miami Beach traffic homicide detectives and prosecutors spent months piecing together a circumstantial case against Pordomingo-Lopez for charges of leaving the scene of a fatal accident and vehicular manslaughter.

According to the warrant, shortly after the crash, Pordomingo-Lopez’s brother called Miami Beach police to ask about an accident. The reason: his brother “had called him to let him know that he was involved in a bad accident in Miami Beach.”

Within the hour of that call, Pordomingo-Lopez’s wife used a smartphone tracking app to find her husband’s cell — located at a North Miami-Dade Walmart.

Police rushed to the scene and found the damaged Charger with what appeared to be blood and human tissue on the shattered windshield, the warrant said.

Video surveillance also showed Pordomingo-Lopez, looking drunk, driving off in the Charger on South Beach shortly before the crash.

But most importantly, according to an arrest warrant, was evidence from Pordomingo-Lopez’s cell phone, which was found inside the parked Charger. Using the phone, investigators traced the car’s path that morning geographically on the Causeway, according to the warrant prepared by Detective Richard Rodriguez and prosecutor Michael Filteau.

Pordomingo-Lopez’s DNA was also found on a tank top discovered on the passenger seat. The victim’s blood was also found on a traffic safety vest that was discovered in the trunk — investigators believe Pordomingo-Lopez may have used the garment to wipe off some of the blood from the car.

As for Williams, detectives have yet to find any surviving family members.

Investigators believe he was transient, and may have originally hailed from the west coast of the United States.

Anyone with information on Williams’ next-of-kin can call Miami Beach Police’s traffic homicide unit at 305-673-7776.