MCSO: Nicholas Linsk arrested after hitting, killing Dr. Marwan Maalouf in Fountain Hills

FOUNTAIN HILLS, AZ - A man was arrested after a Valley neurologist riding a bicycle was killed in a hit-and-run crash Sunday in Fountain Hills.

Christopher Hegstrom with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said 38-year-old Dr. Marwan Maalouf, of Scottsdale, was riding a bike westbound on Shea Boulevard just after 12 p.m. Sunday when a vehicle hit the back of the bicycle, near Fountain Hills Boulevard.

Dr. Maalouf was a neurologist at Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center.

According to a MCSO report, another driver saw the Chevrolet truck hit something then noticed debris on the road.

He reportedly followed the truck and saw the driver pull over in a parking lot at 134th Street and survey the damage to his truck.

The witness called 911 to report the license plate of the suspicious driver. 

MCSO investigated and located the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Nicholas Linsk of Mesa.

The suspect vehicle was seen being towed from the suspect's house Sunday night in Mesa.

According to the report, Linsk told deputies he was driving home from work when he looked down then felt his truck hit something.

He said he thought it was a traffic barricade and kept going.

Eventually he said he got out to look at the damage and then went home.

Deputies also reportedly spoke with Linsk's mother who said her son told her he damaged the truck in a parking lot at work.

Linsk was booked into the 4th Avenue Jail on a class 2 felony of leaving the scene of a fatal traffic collision.

His bond was set at $90,000.

The St. Joseph's Barrow Neurological Institute released the following statement in response to Maalouf's death:

"Dr. Marwan Maalouf was one of the bright stars at St. Joseph’s  Barrow Neurological Institute. A neurologist, Dr. Maalouf was recruited from UCLA where he had completed his fellowship training in cognitive disorders, having worked previously at Barrow as a research fellow. Since coming to Barrow in 2010 he gained the reputation as an excellent clinician who cared deeply about his patients, as well as a committed clinician scientist.  He was also greatly admired as a teacher and mentor to many medical residents.  Dr. Maalouf was preparing to engage in ground breaking research to identify biomarkers that would be helpful in the treatment of patients with Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Maalouf died Sunday in a tragic bicycle accident in Fountain Hills, Arizona. The physicians and staff at Barrow, and his many patients will miss him greatly. Our deepest sympathies go to his family."