Tow truck driver saw Deputy Aleman before crash, says he had "lost look"

MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee County Sheriff's Deputy Sergio Aleman was killed Tuesday, July 31st on I-43 southbound, following a collision with a flat bed tow truck. Deputy Aleman responded to four calls before Tuesday's accident, according to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office, and was on his way to a fifth. FOX6 News spoke with a tow truck driver who knew Deputy Aleman, who said a sighting off the interstate Tuesday raised his eyebrows.

Tow truck driver Roberto Hernanzdez says he believes he may have been one of the last to see Deputy Aleman on the road.

Deputy Aleman was assigned to the freeway service vehicle on what would be his last day of duty.

On a stretch of roadway in Brookfield, Hernanzdez says he spotted Deputy Aleman -- a man he has worked with on a number of occasions, circling the block.

"What I noticed on him was, he had like, a lost look. He was driving in loops. Why was he doing that?" Hernanzdez said.

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke during a press conference Wednesday, August 1st, said just after noon on Tuesday, while traffic slowed on I-43 southbound, Deputy Aleman's vehicle did not, slamming into the back of a flatbed tow truck.

The Sheriff's Office says just before the crash, Deputy Aleman was assisting another deputy.

"He had handled four earlier incidents on the expressway system. Most recently, he had cleared from assisting another Milwaukee County Sheriff's deputy in her investigation of a suspected impaired driver," Sheriff Clarke said.

Sheriff Clarke says it's too early to determine whether a health issue was a factor in the crash. An autopsy has been scheduled.

The Wisconsin State Patrol is in charge of this investigation. They will notify the Sheriff's Office, the family and then the public.

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