By Charles Gladden

BELIZE CITY, Thurs. Oct. 9, 2025

   An ongoing investigation is being conducted to determine who was behind the wheel of a moving vehicle that fatally struck a Belize City man on Wednesday night, October 8, while he was riding an electronic bicycle on Mahogany Street in the Lake Independence area.

   The fatal accident occurred after 10:00 p.m. when the victim, 45-year-old Chester Norales was riding said bicycle on Mahogany Street, and an SUV struck him, killing him at the scene. When relatives arrived at the scene, a severely injured Norales’ motionless body was seen underneath the vehicle along with his damaged bicycle.

   While initial reports had indicated that an off-duty police officer was behind the wheel when the accident occurred, official police reports mentioned that a 17-year-old minor, who was also in the vehicle at the time of the accident, had actually committed the offense.

   Norales is no stranger to the law and had made a name for himself in the streets in the 90s, and last made headlines in 2016, as he was accused of burglarizing and beating an elderly man, but the charges were ultimately dropped.

   Despite his run-ins with the law in his early days, Norales had been walking straight, leaving his previous life behind him.

   Police are yet to levy any charges against the alleged driver.