Western Australia Police have charged a 40-year-old Yangebup man over a hit-and-run crash that killed cyclist Joseph Paratore on North Lake Road in Bibra Lake early Tuesday. Paratore, also 40 and a father of two, died at the scene after a four-wheel drive struck him about 5:20 a.m. The accused driver was arrested later Tuesday in Yangebup, refused bail and is due to appear in Fremantle Magistrates Court on Thursday.
What police have confirmed
Major Crash investigators charged the man with failing to stop and ensure assistance and with failing to report an incident occasioning death, police said in a statement on Wednesday. Officers seized a white Toyota Prado they allege was involved in the collision and towed it to a Major Crash facility in Midland for forensic examination. Investigators said inquiries are continuing and appealed again for anyone with dashcam or CCTV footage from North Lake Road around the time of the crash to contact police.
The case moved quickly after a public appeal on Wednesday. Police released CCTV showing Paratore riding moments before the impact, and detectives asked the public to help identify the driver of the Prado seen in the area. The arrest in Yangebup, about 18 kilometres south of the Perth CBD, ended a two-day search that dominated local news bulletins in Perth’s southern corridor.
Family and community impact
Paratore was commuting by bike along a route used daily by cyclists linking Bibra Lake to industrial and residential areas near Cockburn. Friends and local riding groups described him as a regular on North Lake Road who rode to work. The death has renewed debate among Perth advocates about lighting, speed limits and separation on arterial roads that mix heavy trucks with cycle traffic before dawn.
Police have not released the name of the accused man, standard practice in Western Australia while charges are before the court. Because bail was refused, he remains in custody ahead of the Fremantle hearing. Additional charges could follow depending on forensic results and witness statements; prosecutors will decide whether to allege dangerous driving causing death or other offences once the investigation closes.
What happens next
The Fremantle court appearance will be the first formal step in a process that typically moves from bail review to committal and, if the matter proceeds, trial in the District Court. Paratore’s family has asked for privacy while funeral arrangements are made; community rides in his memory are being discussed online by Perth cycling groups. For WA Police, the priority is completing the Major Crash reconstruction and confirming whether any passengers or secondary vehicles were involved. The seized Prado will be central to that work, along with any telemetry or mobile records investigators obtain under warrant.