Man Sentenced For Escondido Hit-And-Run That Killed Teen Girl

VISTA, CA — A man who struck and killed a 17-year-old girl with his SUV in Escondido, then drove off, was sentenced Thursday to four years in state prison.

Paul Anthony Lissona, 30, of Escondido, pleaded guilty in July to a felony hit-and-run charge in connection with the death of Kirsten Rain Tomlinson.

The victim was with three friends when she was struck on June 6, 2020, at about 12:35 a.m. on Mesa Rock Road near Mesa Ranch Drive by a vehicle heading northbound at high speed.

She died at the scene, despite efforts by her friends and nearby neighbors to render aid, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The CHP called on the public to be on the lookout for a white Toyota Highlander with front-end damage in connection with the fatality. A civilian's tip led to Lissona's arrest the day after the teen was killed.

— City News Service