Hit-and-run driver who killed Fort Worth bicyclist gets 15 years in prison
A driver who hit and killed a bicyclist near Gateway Park in east Fort Worth last year will serve 15 years in prison.
Rolando Cruz, 28, pleaded guilty to collision involving death, the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office announced on Aug. 18. Cruz was accused of driving away after hitting and killing 49-year-old Daniel Frost, an avid cyclist and father of five.
Driver left without stopping for help
On the morning of May 11, 2024, Frost was trying to get more miles in before meeting the rest of his cycling group for a regular Saturday morning ride, the Star-Telegram previously reported.
Frost was riding in the area of East 1st Street and Beach Street about 6 a.m. when he was struck.
Police arrived around 6:40 a.m. after receiving a call about a bicycle with flashing lights blocking one of the lanes near 4500 E. 1st St.
As detectives were investigating, a woman approached them and said her son was the driver, according to Cruz’s arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the Star-Telegram. Cruz told police he “wasn’t sure if he hit a deer or a homeless person,” the affidavit states, and he didn’t know he had dragged the bicycle for around 200 feet.
After the crash, Cruz left his vehicle at a friend’s house and covered it with a tarp before calling his mother, the affidavit states.
An avid bicyclist, a husband and father of 5
Frost was a devoted husband and father who loved life, according to his friends and family, many of whom filled the courtroom during Cruz’s sentencing hearing.
A fellow cyclist, Greg Scheideman, said in his conversation with the Star-Telegram that he will miss Frost’s consistently upbeat attitude. “No matter what it was, I mean how far, how hard, whatever, it’s, ‘Let’s do it. Yeah, that sounds fun, I’m in.’ He would never say no,” Scheideman said.
Frost joined the cycling group known as the Knuckleheads around eight years ago. The group rides every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. A variable group of around 20 cyclists show up for each ride, but Frost was there every time, Scheideman said.
“He loved being on the bike,” Scheideman said. “He just loved being out exploring new routes. He would frequently just say, ‘Let’s go this way. We’ve never been on this road. Let’s go see where this road goes.’ And would take off.”
This story was originally published August 18, 2025 at 6:43 PM.