Driver Sought After Bakersfield Street Vendor Seriously Injured in Niles Street Hit-and-Run

CHP seeks a pickup driver after a late-night collision

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — The California Highway Patrol is searching for the driver of a pickup truck after 46-year-old Silvia Soto was struck near the FoodMaxx parking lot on Niles Street shortly before midnight Friday, September 11, according to an agency account reported by 23ABC.

Soto, a mother who sells elotes to support her family, remains hospitalized after undergoing surgery, 23ABC reports. The station described her injuries as serious but did not publish a medical diagnosis, prognosis or current hospital condition beyond the family's confirmation that she remains hospitalized.

Investigators described the vehicle only as a 1990s-era pickup truck. No color, make, model, license-plate information or driver description was included in the reviewed report. No arrest has been announced.

The reported flight is part of an active investigation

CHP investigators say the pickup driver left before officers arrived. That is the agency's preliminary account of the collision; the driver has not been identified publicly, and no court has determined criminal responsibility.

The reviewed public information does not establish the pickup's speed, direction of travel, point of impact, whether Soto was in the roadway or on private property, or whether impairment, distraction or mechanical failure contributed. Those facts should not be filled in with rumor.

Soto's daughter, Esmeralda Morales, showed 23ABC tire marks at the location that she believes came from the collision. Her belief is relevant witness context, but the reviewed report does not say CHP forensically linked those marks to the pickup.

What witnesses should preserve

Anyone who traveled Niles Street near FoodMaxx shortly before midnight September 11 should check dash cameras, business surveillance systems and doorbell-camera archives before recordings are overwritten. The most useful evidence may show a 1990s-era pickup before or after the collision, including its direction, color, body style, plate characters, lights or fresh damage.

Preserve the original, unedited file with its timestamp and device metadata. Do not enhance, crop or repost the only copy, and do not publicly accuse a driver based on a vehicle resemblance. Investigators need the original evidence and context.

23ABC directs anyone with information to CHP at 661-396-6600. What’s the Scoop With Broach independently verified that number on CHP's official Bakersfield Area page. Callers should distinguish firsthand observations from information heard elsewhere.

A family is waiting for answers

Morales told 23ABC that her mother often worked late selling corn to provide for four children and described Soto as the family's primary financial provider. She said the household has felt both the emotional and financial effects of Soto's hospitalization.

The family is asking the driver to come forward. That plea does not replace the evidence investigators must collect, but it underscores the immediate stakes: a seriously injured Bakersfield resident remains in a hospital while the involved driver is still unidentified.

The next material updates will be a more specific vehicle description, verified video or witness evidence, identification of the driver, an arrest or a documented change in Soto's condition. Until then, the public should circulate the confirmed description and CHP number without attaching an uninvolved person's name or photograph.

About the image

The accompanying photograph shows a California Highway Patrol Dodge Charger displayed at a 2008 public-safety event in Lakewood. Eric Polk created the image and licensed it under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 through Wikimedia Commons.

The photograph provides agency context only. It does not depict Soto, her family, Niles Street, FoodMaxx, the pickup, the driver, emergency response or evidence from the September 11 collision.