Petaluma man in fatal crash identified

The death of a Petaluma man, run over by a hit-and-run driver on an eastside thoroughfare, remained a puzzle Monday as Petaluma police investigated how it happened and who hit him.

The victim of Saturday’s 11:40 p.m. collision was Charles Ralph Kauffman Jr., 53, according to the Sonoma County Coroner’s Office on Monday.

A passing motorist found Kauffman lying on his back in the northbound lanes of North McDowell Boulevard, north of Scott Street. His Mazda Miata was stopped in the southbound fast lane, still running, with the driver’s door open.

It was not immediately clear why Kauffman stepped out of his car without properly parking it, Petaluma police Lt. Tim Lyons said Monday.

It also wasn’t clear how he came to be hit by the other vehicle. Kauffman didn’t appear to have been struck and thrown by a passing car, as there was no broken glass or other obvious signs of such an impact, Lyons said.

And it appeared he’d been prone in the traffic lane when he was run over, as tread marks were visible on his clothing and body, said Lyons.

Police are considering that it may have been a suicide and a hit-and-run case, given the driver who ran him over didn’t stop.

Officers are seeking witnesses and area surveillance video. They discovered two pieces of broken undercarriage from a General Motors vehicle about 10 to 15 feet north of the crash scene, Lyons said.

Officers also are checking the vehicle of a man arrested on suspicion of drunken driving not far from the crash scene, Lyons said. Officers arrested a Novato man on Old Redwood Highway about 2:45 a.m. His face was bloody and his Acura had a flattened front tire, possibly from a collision, Lyons said.

Police asked anyone with information to contact officers at 707-778-4372.

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.