Investigators use debris to track down hit-and-run suspect in Clayton

Officials have arrested a man charged with hitting and killing a moped driver Thursday morning in Clayton.

The North Carolina State Highway Patrol said someone in a blue Jetta Volkswagen hit a red moped before 1:30 a.m. on U.S. Highway 70 near Cornwallis Road and kept driving.

The moped driver, Steven Mark Ferguson, 57, of Raleigh, was thrown off his vehicle and died.

Investigators at the scene used debris, including a panel with a “VW” insignia, pieces of blue car and a headlight, to determine the suspect was driving a 2019 or 2020 year model Volkswagen Jetta with heavy right front damage and a missing mirror.

Around 7:30 p.m., an anonymous tipster said they saw what could be the suspect vehicle parked at the Amelia Station apartment complex in Clayton. Officials discovered red paint from the moped on the car that matched the description.

The car was towed, and the owner, Alan Ray Price, 45, of Clayton, was arrested.

Price was charged with felony hit and run and was being held at the Johnston County jail in Smithfield under a $50,000 secured bond.