Man arrested in hit-and-run crash that killed 15-year-old girl

Man comes forward Wednesday with information about driver

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. ā€“ Concerned residents in Fort Lauderdale joined a hit-and-run victim's family in a walk for justice Wednesday night, and one person in the crowd claimed that he knows who is responsible for the fatal crash.

Fort Lauderdale police confirmed Thursday that they have arrested Max Stevenson Francois, 28, on a charge of leaving the scene of an accident resulting in a death.

The man's claims came the same day that police released surveillance video showing a car that is believed to have struck and killed Jaliah Cross, 15, on Monday night.

"He said, 'Ma'am, I'm positive. I know exactly what kind of car, where it's at and everything,'" Cross' godmother, Verna Poole, said.

Cross was struck about 9 p.m. Monday while crossing the street in the area of Northwest 11th Street and 15th Avenue, just north of Sunrise Boulevard. Her family said she was walking home from a nearby convenience store.

Surveillance video shows a dark-colored car believed to be involved in the crash heading west on East Sunrise Boulevard before making a right turn on 15th Avenue.

Cross was taken to Broward Health Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead.

"(We want to) let him know that we're not laying down," Cross' mother, Felissa Williams, said. "We're not letting it sweep under the rug. We want justice."

Police said Francois turned himself in after police found his 2001 Ford Mustang under a tarp outside his home. Police said he lives at the home with his girlfriend and their 3-month-old baby.

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Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.