Hit-and-Run Claims Life of Adviser to Cortez Masto

A senior adviser to U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto lost his life in a hit-and-run incident at around 4:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 6.

Kurt Englehart, 38, was pronounced dead at the scene of a two-vehicle crash, which occurred at the intersection of Kietzke and Peckham lanes behind the Reno-Sparks Convention Center. The occupants of one vehicle fled the scene only to be apprehended by the police later.

Alleged illegal alien Elmer Rueda-Linares, 18, was arrested on charges related to the hit-and-run, with authorities indicating that impairment may have played a role in the crash.

Senator Catherine Cortez Masto took to social media to express her condolences, describing Englehart as a beloved figure across the state who had served in her campaign and official offices for the past eight years

“A dedicated public servant, a loyal friend, and a loving father,” Cortez Masto wrote. “Kurt was always eager to help a constituent at a moment’s notice.”

In the wake of his death, Kerry Durmick, a friend, initiated a GoFundMe campaign to support his family.

“We will miss him so much,” Durmick expressed on the fundraising page. “Kurt’s biggest joy in life was his son and his family, and I am setting this up to honor him and his wish that his family would be supported in an impossible time like this.”

The Reno Police Department Major Accident Investigation Team is handling the investigation.

Earlier this year, Cortez Masto urged President Joe Biden to prioritize border security and a crackdown on fentanyl as part of the budget for the fiscal year 2025, joining 16 other Senators in penning a letter to Biden pleading the need for greater security and drug interdiction efforts to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs smuggled through the border via ports of entry.

“In order to meaningfully address the fentanyl crisis, law enforcement officers at our Nation’s borders must be equipped to combat the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs. We must also support the law enforcement agencies that are investigating these smuggling and trafficking crimes and working to disrupt the transnational criminal networks that threaten our country and our communities,” Cortez Masto wrote.

Not one word did she say about closing the southern border to the millions of illegal aliens crossing into the U.S.