The Brief
- A Wesley Chapel father of three was struck by a vehicle and left along Boyette Road for 12 hours before being found.
- Florida Highway Patrol says no arrests have been made in the hit-and-run.
- Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest.
WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Florida Highway Patrol says 39-year-old Daniel Avena was hit by a vehicle along Boyette Road near Vienna Woods Lane in Wesley Chapel on the evening of Nov. 16.
Troopers believe the vehicle involved was an SUV, possibly a Toyota 4Runner or something similar, traveling southbound. Investigators said Avena was left on the side of the road for roughly 12 hours before his body was discovered around 7 a.m. the following morning.
The backstory:
Family members say Avena was well-known in the Wesley Chapel area and was rarely a stranger to anyone. Loved ones say he often stopped at the nearby Racetrac gas station along Boyette Road, places where people recognized him by his nickname, “Bernie Mac,” for his humor and constant dad jokes.
Avena’s daughter, Lyric Avena-Day says simple errands with her father often turned into long conversations with people who stopped to talk to him. His family says walking along Boyette Road was something he did regularly, despite the dangers of the busy roadway.
That stretch of Boyette Road has no sidewalks and limited lighting — conditions neighbors say have long raised safety concerns, especially at night.…