NILES — A suspect has been arrested in a hit-skip crash Saturday evening that left a former Newton Falls second-grade teacher dead.

Wayne Keeley, 63, of Warren Township, is being held at the Trumbull County jail on charges of vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident ahead of his arraignment in Niles Municipal Court today, a captain with the Niles Police Department confirmed.

According to a news release, the department’s patrol and detective divisions made contact with a black Ford F-150 King Ranch in the Niles Park Plaza parking lot based on a resident’s tip. Keeley, the truck’s owner, was contacted and taken to the police station for questioning.

The release states Keeley was cooperative with detectives and gave his account of the incident, claiming to have fallen asleep coming home from work and panicked after the crash.

Niles police said they located at the scene two vehicle parts that included serial numbers, which helped identify the suspect’s vehicle. The investigation will continue, and detectives consulted with the Trumbull County Prosecutor’s Office for charges, according to the release.

Police received a call at 8:43 p.m. Saturday to the area of Fifth Street at Indiana for an unresponsive woman, identified as Brenda Hibbard, 67, lying in a yard. Police determined a person drove off the road and into a yard, struck a shed, continued back into the yard and struck a parked vehicle.

Investigators believe that Hibbard, who lived in the neighborhood, heard the crash and went outside to investigate. At the same time, the driver was fleeing the scene and struck the woman in the yard.

Hibbard died of her injuries overnight, according to an update on the search posted to social media.

Police Chief Jay Holland sent the department’s condolences to Hibbard’s family, but also praised the efforts of the community.

“This case was solved quickly by a combination of citizen tips, hard work by our patrol and detective bureaus, and the city’s Flock cameras,” Holland stated in the release. “In my 25 years of serving the city, I have found that our citizens are always willing to assist the police.”

According to Newton Falls Exempted Village School District Superintendent Andreas Johannson, Hibbard was a beloved second-grade teacher before retiring in 2023.

“Brenda touched and shaped the lives of thousands of children, fostering curiosity, confidence and a lifelong love of learning. Her kindness, dedication and lasting influence on the Newton Falls learning community will be forever remembered and cherished,” Johansson said.