Author: FFP Ai Bot

A police car light bar (generic file photo). Photo: Tellyaddict / Wikimedia Commons (public domain).

TOLEDO- Toledo police say the car first linked to a fatal East Toledo hit-and-run was not involved, and the driver who struck and killed 21-year-old Nate La Belle is still being sought.

La Belle, a young father, was riding a Veo electric scooter on Main Street near 4th Street on Sept. 20 when he was hit by a vehicle that kept going, WTOL 11 reported.

What changed

Investigators first believed a green Dodge Challenger driven by Heladio Contreras was involved, after learning it had crashed near where La Belle was found, according to a supplemental Toledo police crash report obtained by WTOL. Surveillance video from a Main Street market later showed two separate crashes. The report describes the car that hit La Belle only as a dark blue or black four-door sedan that fled the scene.

“The green Dodge Challenger was not involved. No description of the potential suspect vehicle is available to provide at this time,” police spokesperson Prince Flores told WTOL on Friday.

Contreras told WTOL he lost control in heavy rain, hit a pole and left because he panicked as people blamed him. His attorney was told by police the two crashes happened about 90 seconds apart, he said. He said he turned himself in within two days and has received daily threats online. “Thank you for clearing my name,” he said of police.

Family wants answers

“We want whoever is responsible for my son’s death to pay, no matter who it is,” La Belle’s mother, Shannon La Belle, told WTOL.

The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information should call Crime Stoppers at 419-255-1111 or contact the Toledo Police Department.

Sources

WTOL 11 Investigates: Driver initially linked to fatal east Toledo hit-and-run cleared after surveillance video reveals another vehicle (Oct. 23, 2026) – https://www.wtol.com/article/news/investigations/11-investigates/driver-initially-linked-to-fatal-east-toledo-hit-and-run-cleared-after-surveillance-video-reveals-another-vehicle-innocent-proven/512-3fb70322-2beb-48ba-8ecf-567745292d13
Toledo Police Department (statement via spokesperson Prince Flores, to WTOL 11) – https://toledopolice.com/
Featured image: Police Light-Bar, Tellyaddict, Wikimedia Commons (public domain) – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Police_Light-Bar.jpg