‘Person of interest’ in songwriter Rob Meurer’s death may be homeless, complicating search

Oct. 11--A "person of interest" in a hit-and-run collision that killed 65-year-old songwriter Rob Meurer in Studio City last month "appears to be homeless," complicating efforts to contact him, authorities said Monday.

Police have been trying to find George Ronald Nicoletti, 53, following the collision in which Meurer was fatally struck while crossing Moorpark Street in the 12800 block on Sept. 23. The vehicle that struck Meurer, who succumbed to his injuries the next day, has been described as a 1998 Saturn with California license plate 6HAY595.

Nicoletti "appears to be homeless," said Detective Daniel Menesez of LAPD's Valley Traffic Division. "The addresses (listed at the DMV) do not check out and also we've interviewed people that are close to him. "I would love to know if anyone out there knows where he or the vehicle are."

--RELATED STORY: Christopher Cross remembers songwriter Rob Meurer after fatal hit-and-run

California Department of Motor Vehicles records have indicated that the license plate of the vehicle is suspended because it's from a Saturn that has not been registered since Dec. 24, 2014. As of June 1, 2015, there was no car insurance attached to the license plate, a DMV official has said.

Meurer was a singer-songwriter, musician and educator as well as a longtime friend and musical collaborator of singer-songwriter Christopher Cross. Meurer played synthesizer and keyboards on the Christopher Cross group's debut album, which won five Grammy Awards, and toured with the band for years. Meurer, who was married and had a daughter, also collaborated in musical theatre productions and was the lyricist for the rock musical "Helldrivers of Daytona," which opened last month in Chicago.

Detective William Bustos, also of Valley Traffic Division, reiterated Monday that police are very interested in communicating with Nicoletti.

"We're going to keep looking for him until we find him so we can ask him about the collision," Bustos said.

--RELATED STORY: Man sought in hit-and-run that killed songwriter Rob Meurer in Studio City

It's the responsibility of a driver involved in a traffic collision to immediately stop and render aid by calling 911 or taking that person to the hospital depending on the situation, he said. It's also the driver's responsibility to identify himself or herself, he explained.

Meanwhile, police are also still seeking the hit-and-run driver who killed a 72-year-old woman in a wheelchair in North Hollywood at about 3:30 a.m. on Sept. 27, Bustos said.

The driver of a white Ford Transit van reportedly fled the scene at Burbank Boulevard and Bonner Avenue in the NoHo Arts District area.

"We did a lot of outreach to the community," Bustos said, but "that's still an unsolved and open case."

The victim was identified as Patricia Lee Richison of North Hollywood, Rudy Molano, an investigator with the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner, said Monday.

The city offers rewards of up to $50,000 for tips that help solve a fatal hit-and-run.

Anyone with information on either of these cases is urged to call 818-644-8000. During non-business hours and weekends, calls should be directed to 1-877-527-3247. Those wishing to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-8477.

City News Service contributed to this report.

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