British father, 51, is killed in ‘high speed hit and run’ while cycling in Italy
- George Young, from London, was found last Friday after failing to show up for work
- A 36-year-old has turned himself in to police after he thought he had hit an animal
Police are questioning a man after a British chef cycling home from work was knocked down and killed in an apparent collision.
The father of one George Young, 51, was found fatally injured by emergency services in a ditch at the side of the road after concerned colleagues raised the alarm.
Originally from Mile End, East London, he had moved to San Bonifacio near Verona, Italy, with his wife and daughter and found work as a chef in a local restaurant.
Staff at the Re di Fiandra eatery raised the alarm last Friday after he failed to show up for duty and his body was found a few hours later.
Owner Renato Danese said it had been raining heavily when George finished his shift and he offered him a ride home, but instead he said he would cycle the short distance.
Mr Danese said: ‘He said he didn’t want to get anyone in trouble so he put on his backpack and reflective jacket and left. That was the last we saw of him.
‘He was supposed to arrive at work on Friday and when he didn’t I messaged and called but got no response. Then I called the police and they found his body.”
George Young, a 51-year-old father-of-one from Mile End, was found in Italy last Friday
Mr Young was found fatally injured by emergency services in a ditch at the side of the road
Police quickly found skid marks on the road that would have taken him home and when they saw a road sign that had been knocked over, they investigated further and found George’s body and bicycle.
They had used drones to scout the area after tracking his cell phone signal to the road where it was last picked up.
A police source said initial investigations revealed he had been “hit at high speed” and his body had been propelled 100 meters before landing in the ditch near his crumpled bicycle.
Friends revealed he had divorced his first wife, Arianna Sartori, who had moved to Belgium with his eight-year-old daughter Victoria.
Mr Danese paid tribute to him, saying: “He worked here for five years and was a good colleague and friend. No one can believe that he was such a nice man, very friendly.
‘He cycled to and from work like this every day for five years and until now nothing has ever happened, you can’t just die like that.’
George was also a DJ and tributes were paid to him by the music community on Facebook. In a message, The Underground Sessions said it had “lost a legend.”
It added: ‘I never had the chance to meet George in person but spent many nights chatting or on the mic trying to bring each other to life. Sorry to everyone who knew him. His presence will be missed.”
On her Facebook page, Arianna posted a photo of rain-lashed windows and friends, as friends offered their condolences.
She told them: “I will always miss him,” while Victoria wrote in a note: “I love you daddy, I will never forget you.”
Fellow DJ Nicola Roncolato said: ‘A good person and a great DJ. Always nice to everyone.
“I really hope that justice is served and this street pirate is caught.”
Tributes poured in for the DJ. In a post, The Underground Sessions said it had ‘lost a legend’
A 36-year-old man has since turned himself in to police after reading about George’s death and his lawyer Paolo Bogoni said: ‘My client was on the road and thought he had hit an animal but then saw the news that the body was found.
“He told me he was on the road around that time, returning home from visiting family. He said he hit something, but when he stopped he couldn’t find anything to explain the damage to his car.
‘The next day he followed his route in daylight but again saw nothing unusual, but then he saw the news calling me and saying he thought he was involved.
“That’s why we went to the police, because he felt it necessary to tell them what happened, and he wants them to examine his car and talk to him.”