GARNER, N.C. — Investigators are looking for a hit-and-run driver, who witnesses said left the scene of the accident promising to get help.

The victim was Kyle Niccum, a Garner High School graduate, who was in Greenville visiting a friend whose mother had recently died.

Niccum's family said the honor student was also a wrestler and loved hunting. He dreamed of becoming an engineer.

And at just 22, he vowed to be a good father to his young son, Cole.

"He will know who his dad is and how much he cared. That's a promise I made to my son, and a mother doesn't break her promise," Debbie Niccum said.

In an instant, a hit-and-run driver killed Niccum on the night of Jan. 29, on North Greene Street.

Niccum and a friend were in an unfamiliar part of Greenville trying to flag down a car and get a ride back to a friend's house when a passing motorist hit him and threw him more than 100 feet.

According to Niccum's father, the driver yelled out.

"He did stop and (say) he was going to get help and never returned," said Jeff Niccum. "I can't fathom that. It's beyond human."

The victim's childhood friend was so busy trying to save his friend's life that he wasn't able to get good look at the vehicle, leaving police with little information about what happened.

It makes Niccum's family wonder who could do such a thing and drive away.

"You pick them up, and you take them to the hospital. You just don't leave them, period," Debbie Niccum said. "Somebody out there doesn't have a heart."

The Niccums' hearts are now broken as they wonder why the driver didn't help.

"I'm hoping it's playing on him, and he's not sleeping at night and he sees Kyle's face every single time he closes his eyes," Debbie Niccum said.

The Niccums have been at the scene in Greenville looking for clues and are hoping someone will notice a car with unexplained body damage and report it to police.

CrimeStoppers is offering a reward for information leading to an arrest.