Widow of hit-and-run victim speaks out

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (WSVN) -- A widow is sharing her heartbreaking story after a horrifying hit-and-run took her husband's life.

Patrizia Pesce was married to Stefano Riccoletti for 12 years. They have two children together. Those children will now grow up without a father. "You want to make sure that you tell your loved ones everyday that you love them because if you don't, then you will never have an opportunity to do that," said Pesce.

Pesce speaks about her 8-year-old son who is now left expressing his sorrow for his dad through drawings. "He's just doing a lot of drawings. He's drawing his dad as an angel. He's drawing himself putting flowers on his grave," said Pesce, "and I've always been the strict one of the family. Their fun always came from their dad, so now I'm gonna try and be a little bit more fun for them because they need that too."

Ricoletti, an executive chef at a restaurant inside the Shore Club was killed Monday morning. Police said he was struck and killed on Collins Avenue and 18th Street by a hit-and-run driver.

According to police, 20-year-old Karlie Tomica had been driving the vehicle. Good Samaritan Jairo Fuentes followed Tomica after the collision and called 911.

Fuentes: "I'm following that lady right now."

Dispatch: "You're following the subject?"

Fuentes: "Yes, I'm following her now. yes."

Police are investigating whether alcohol played a role in the crash.

Pesce has a message for Tomica. "If you think you made a mistake, if you really think you made a mistake, now she has to do something to show us that she understands that she made a mistake," said Pesce. "I'm not saying that I want her to apologize personally. What I mean is that, turn your life around and do something positive with it because, so far it's been a mess."

Pesce said she is grateful for Fuentes. "I just want him to know that, first of all, my husband would have loved him because he was all about ordinary people doing extraordinary things, and definitely that morning he did an extraordinary thing," she said.

That Monday morning, Riccoletti was on his way to work. Pesce said he was not even supposed to be at work that day, but he went in.

"For me, thinking about my husband, I always think about him with a big tray in his hands, with a big smile and saying, 'Buon appetito!' to everyone because that was his thing. He wanted to make them happy by feeding people," said Pesce.

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