Man charged in Canada with fatal hit-and-run of Irishman Eoghan Byrne (24)

Eoghan Byrne from Skerries had been walking home around 11.30pm in Vancouver last June when he was struck and killed by a speeding car.

The 24-year-old was described as an “adored son” as tributes poured in following the incident.

He had been working at a biotechnology company since April 2022 – just months before the fatal crash.

The driver, later named as Alexandre Romero-Arata (26), has now been charged with criminal negligence causing death, failing to stop at the scene of an accident and public mischief.

Vancouver Police Department had said the car “appeared to be travelling at high speeds" in the moments before the collision.

Canadian news outlets report Romero-Arata has also since been handed a separate assault charge for assault with a weapon and assault causing bodily harm in an incident last March in Richmond.

He is expected to remain in custody until his next court appearance at Vancouver Provincial Court on March 10.

Tributes to Dubliner Eoghan Byrne flooded in following news of the incident last summer.

He was described as a “lovely handsome young man” who had recently moved to Canada after graduating from Trinity College Dublin.

At the time of the tragic crash last June 19, Vancouver Police Department’s Collision Investigation Unit said investigators “spent the night collecting evidence from the crime scene and have spoken to a number of witnesses.

"Anyone who has not yet come forward is asked to contact investigators right away.”

Sergeant Steve Addison said: “We asked for help to solve this crime, and after receiving significant information from the public, VPD officers identified the suspected driver and arrested him yesterday at his home in Vancouver for the fatal hit-and-run.

“We also arrested one of the driver’s family members and are investigating whether that person acted as an accomplice after the fatal collision.”