BENSALEM — Marcelo Alvarado crossed Knights Road on Monday evening to buy a telephone calling card at the convenience store near his apartment.
The 43-year-old father of eight needed to call Guatemala, where his family lives. Alvarado was supporting them as a landscaper here.
He never made it back to his apartment.
About 8:15 p.m., Bensalem police say, Alvarado was struck by a white Volkswagen Jetta as he walked back across Knights Road to the Shaminy Brook apartment complex.
He was thrown several feet and suffered head injuries, police said. He was taken to Frankford Hospital-Torresdale Campus and pronounced dead on arrival.
Alvarado had lived in the apartment with his two brothers-in-law, who also support their families by working as landscapers. The men said yesterday they would now help support their sister's family, too.
While police were at the accident scene Monday night, they received a report that a damaged car was parked behind the nearby Bucks County Diner.
The officers traced the car to Jose Perez. As they looked for Perez, he called Bensalem police to report the car stolen, Public Safety Director Steve Moran said. But when police interviewed Jose Perez, he said he had lent the car to his brother, Guillermo Perez, 24.
Guillermo Perez, who lives in an apartment complex less than a half-mile from Alvarado's home and the accident scene, was charged yesterday with causing an accident involving death, driving without a license, failure to render aid, careless driving, and failure to notify police.
He is being held in the Bucks County Correctional Facility after failing to post $750,000 bail. A preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday.
Carlos Yax, 33, and Lesandro Lorenzo, 23, said they learned of their brother-in-law's death from a man who had witnessed the accident.
They notified their sister, whose children range in age from 2 to 22. Alvarado's body will be sent back to Guatemala, they said.
Family friend Carlos Gonzales, who also works as a landscaper, said Alvarado was a hard worker who, on his free time every Sunday, went to Trenton to play games of pickup soccer.
Gonzales said Alvarado was also a funny man who loved to make people laugh.
"He was so happy all the time, he made everybody else happy," Gonzales said.
Contact staff writer Kellie Patrick at 215-702-7807 or kpatrick@phillynews.com.
