Driver turns himself in after he allegedly hit a pedestrian and kept going

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — On July 19, 2025, the Tafuna Police Substation (TPS) received a call regarding a hit and run incident in Nuuuli.

The suspect did turn himself in at a later time and was charged with:

Count 1: Failure to Render Aid, a class A misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to one year, a fine of $1,000, or both imprisonment and fine;

Count 2: Careless Driving with Injuries, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both; and,

Count 3: Non-Possession of a Driver’s License, a class B misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for up to six months, a fine of $500, or both.

The defendant’s bail was set at $2,000.

Court records revealed that on July 19th, at about 6:52 p.m., TPS received a call from a woman (later identified as the reporter) regarding a pedestrian hit and run in

Nuuuli incident near the Lucky 7 store.

Police officers responded to the call and upon arrival, they didn’t see any vehicle or people at the scene. The officers were later informed that the victim had been taken by the EMS.

A man later walked into TPS to make a statement. The witness verbally stated that he was driving home and as he approached the Nuuuli Theaters heading east, he saw the vehicle in front of him was driving slowly. He further observed a female pedestrian crossing the road, and another vehicle stopped allowing the pedestrian to cross. Unfortunately, the vehicle in front of him did not stop, and hit the pedestrian and continued to drive off.

The witness stated that he followed the vehicle and memorized the license plate. He then observed the driver of the vehicle stop in front of a green two-story house where he backed up and continued driving; while leaving the victim to bleed on the road.

A man (later identified as the victim’s husband) ran over with a few bystanders to help the victim. They carried the victim and placed her on the back  of a truck bed and transported her to the LBJ hospital.

After interviewing the witness, the officers proceeded to follow up and la terretrieved a video footage from the Lucky 7 store. The footage showed what seemed to be a vehicle dragging someone under the vehicle.

After retrieving the footage, authorities proceeded to the hospital and followed up on the victim. The victim was identified as a 50-year-old Samoan woman from the village of Nuuuli.

The officers spoke to the attending physician and they were informed that the victim would be admitted to undergo a surgical operation. The doctor also provided a medical account of the victim to the officers.

The victim’s injuries were numerous. It included a fractured pelvic, a large abrasion over her lower back and left upper back extending to the side of her left arm, an abrasion on her right thigh, and a lacerated wound on the second and third toe. A main bone fragment was also pulled away from its main body on her left knee and right forearm, multiple abrasions on her left lateral thigh and an abrasion on her right temporal area.

Later at the police station, a man (identified as the suspect) approached an officer and identified himself as the driver of the hit and run incident. The suspect identified himself as Toma Paleafei.

He claimed that he didn’t know that the victim crossed the road when he hit her. He also admitted that he kept driving until he stopped in front of a two-story house and saw the victim lying motionless and obviously in pain.

He stated that he backed up and drove away feeling frightened and horrified. He then went home and told his family and his family drove him to the police station to turn himself in.