ENCINITAS — Authorities are searching for a driver who struck an Encinitas man Sunday night in the Village Park neighborhood and fled, leaving the victim with injuries that have prevented him from walking or driving.
Mike Eisenberg, 49, said he was walking against traffic in a parking lane along Glen Arbor Drive near Leafwood Place shortly after 10 p.m. Aug. 16 when a vehicle veered toward the edge of the road and struck the lower right side of his body.
The impact knocked him out of one shoe and propelled him several feet backward onto the pavement.
“When I noticed the car bearing down on me, it was just a few feet away, going at a high speed,” Eisenberg told The Coast News. “I had no time to react. I just knew something bad was about to happen to me.”
Eisenberg said he immediately got up and moved into a nearby Village Park greenbelt, fearing for his safety. When he turned back toward the road, he saw a light-colored vehicle traveling south on Glen Arbor Drive with part of its damaged front bumper scraping the pavement.
Sgt. Kristy Trampus of the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office North Coastal Station confirmed the hit-and-run and said traffic investigators are pursuing a few leads, but could not provide additional details.
“We are actively investigating the case,” Trampus told The Coast News.
Eyewitness Megan Dietz told The Coast News she was walking her dog on Willowspring Drive, directly across the greenbelt and roughly parallel to Eisenberg, when he was struck about 100 feet away on Glen Arbor Drive.
Dietz said she heard tires screeching, followed by a thud. She then saw a white hatchback or small SUV with visible front-end damage, including a dented hood, slowly traveling south on Glen Arbor Drive toward Encinitas Boulevard. The vehicle was making a scraping noise and appeared to have difficulty maneuvering after the collision, according to Dietz.
Moments later, Dietz heard Eisenberg calling for help and ran toward him. She called 911 at 10:16 p.m.
“It happened so quickly,” Dietz said. “It’s a huge bummer that someone can do that and sleep at night.”
Dietz, a longtime Encinitas resident who regularly walks her dog in the neighborhood, said the collision has left her uneasy about walking at night. She urged residents along Glen Arbor Drive to review surveillance footage from around 10:15 to 10:20 p.m. on Aug. 16 for a damaged white vehicle traveling slowly.
Eisenberg, a patent attorney who has lived in Encinitas for more than 11 years, said the stretch of Glen Arbor Drive, a single-lane residential street with a 25 mph speed limit, is a route he has taken for years without incident.
According to Eisenberg, the collision injured his right knee, hip and elbow, and left much of his right leg heavily bruised. Eisenberg is now using crutches and awaiting further testing to determine the extent of damage to his knee.
For now, the injuries have halted a fitness routine that included walking or running up to 6 miles a day and attending yoga classes several times a week.
“All of the stuff I enjoyed as part of a healthy life is gone,” he said.
Eisenberg’s wife, Bethany, said she has spent the days since the collision caring for her husband and their children, canvassing the neighborhood and juggling her full-time job in La Jolla. She has also shared information about the vehicle with friends and neighbors, many of whom have offered the family an outpouring of support.
“Everything is just out of whack,” Bethany said of the family’s routine, upended by her husband’s injuries. “The kids even said, ‘I wish things were normal again.’ It sucks that someone could do this and just drive away.”
Investigators have recovered a portion of the vehicle left near the collision site that they believe came from a light-colored 2012-15 Toyota Prius V, according to Eisenberg. The suspect vehicle, which he described as silver or white, is expected to have damage to the front passenger side.
The collision follows two fatal Encinitas hit-and-runs in which no arrests have been publicly announced. David D’Lima, 23, was struck and killed at Encinitas Boulevard and Coast Highway 101 on New Year’s Day 2023. On Jan. 19, 2025, a 66-year-old woman was fatally struck in the 900 block of North Coast Highway 101 in Encinitas. Authorities have continued seeking information in both cases.
An anonymous neighbor, who responded to the scene to assist Eisenberg after the collision, said the latest incident highlights the need for drivers to exercise more caution.
“We’ve got little kids in the community, less than a few feet from where this occurred,” the neighbor said. “It’s super important we make sure this is addressed and our neighbors are safe.”
Deputies and residents have walked door-to-door in the neighborhood seeking surveillance footage, and neighbors have offered to distribute flyers. Eisenberg has also sought camera footage through social media.
“We’re approaching five days since the collision and the driver has somehow avoided identification,” Eisenberg said. “I haven’t been able to obtain video from the area. I can’t leave the house on my own. I can’t walk or drive, and I’m home alone during the day, so I’ve been turning to social media for help.”
Eisenberg praised the Sheriff’s Office response, saying Deputy Jonathan Graves has contacted him daily since taking the initial report.
“The police response has been outstanding,” Eisenberg said.
Anyone with information or surveillance footage from the area of Glen Arbor Drive and Leafwood Place shortly after 10 p.m. Aug. 16 is asked to call the San Diego County Sheriff’s Office nonemergency line at 858-868-3200. Anonymous tips may be submitted to San Diego County Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.
