A 76-year-old man was arrested and later released pending further investigation following a vehicle crash on Maui that left a victim with life-threatening injuries.

The Maui Police Department contacted the suspect on Thursday, who allegedly confessed that he operated the vehicle that struck a pedestrian on Nov. 9 in Paia. The victim was identified as a 41-year-old man who police said “sustained potentially life-threatening injuries as a result of this crash.”

Police arrested the 76-year-old for an “accidents involving substantially bodily injury” offense and obtained a search warrant for the van, a 1989 Volkswagen Vanagon, presumably involved in the crash.

He was processed at the Wailuku police station and released. More information is being gathered before the case is presented to prosecutors.

Around 4:30 a.m. Nov. 9, Wailuku district officers responded to a report of a pedestrian who was lying on the roadway on Baldwin Avenue and Mahi Ko Street in Paia. He was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center Emergency Room with life-threatening injuries, MPD said.

Police determined the 41-year-old victim was in the roadway and outside of a marked crosswalk when he was struck by a vehicle heading northbound. The driver allegedly fled the scene without providing aid to the victim or informing police, MPD said.

A subsequent investigation, which included physical evidence recovered from the scene, led police to the suspect.

“Motor vehicle crashes that involve life-threatening injuries or fatality are very complex and time-consuming investigations,” Lt. William Hankins, commander of MPD’s Traffic Division, said in a statement. “Our team of investigators, along with Wailuku Patrol Officers spent countless hours investigating this crash, and we will continue to work diligently to ensure a complete and detailed investigation of this crash is presented for prosecution. The victim in this crash and his family deserve a thorough and complete investigation by police, and that is exactly what families and victims can expect.”