A 26-year-old man sustained major injuries when he was ejected in a Saturday evening vehicle crash southeast of Ceres and the responsible driver was later arrested for fleeing the scene.

The crash occurred at 7:17 p.m. at Service and Pioneer roads.

The California Highway Patrol reported that Anthony Rodriguez, 26, of Modesto was not wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash and was thrown from his 2014 Nissan sedan and found in the roadway. He was rushed by Medi-flight to Memorial Medical Center’s trauma center.

The investigating CHP officer determined that Rodriguez was driving southbound on Pioneer Avenue and had stopped at the stop sign. Jonathan Sanchez, 19, of Hickman was eastbound on Service Road in a 2015 Chevy pickup and entered the intersection after failing to stop at his stop sign. The front of the pickup collided with the driver’s side, causing the ejection.

The CHP said Sanchez fled the scene on foot but later appeared at the Ceres Police Department to falsely report that his pickup had been stolen. The CHP interviewed Sanchez and determined that he was the hit-and-run driver in the crash. He was arrested and after being medically cleared for injuries was booked into the Stanislaus County Public Safety Center for felony hit-and -run.

Drugs and/or alcohol do not appear to have contributed to the collision.

Rodriguez’s condition was not available but some social media reports indicated that he survived and is expected to recover.