Riverside Man Jailed in Connection with Fatal Hit-and-Run in Oceanside

A Riverside man was jailed Friday on suspicion of fleeing after the vehicle he was driving fatally struck a woman two months ago as she rode her bicycle through Oceanside.

Christian Joshua Howard, 26, was arrested about 9 a.m. Friday at his workplace in Corona in connection with the traffic death of 51-year-old Tracey Gross, according to the Oceanside Police Department.

Gross was riding her bicycle in the area of state Route 76 and Singh Way when a vehicle struck her about 11:30 p.m. on March 17, OPD Sgt. Clint Bussey said. Following the impact, the motorist continued driving and left the area.

Gross, a postal carrier and mother of two adult children, died in a hospital the next day.

Police did not disclose what led investigators to identify Howard as the suspect in the case. He was booked into Vista Detention Facility on suspicion of hit-and-run, vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and destroying or concealing evidence. Authorities did not immediately disclose the reason for the latter charge.

Howard was being held on $225,000 bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.