The northbound lanes of the Downtown Connector were shut down for about an hour Monday night while authorities investigated a crash that killed a pedestrian.

The victim was unresponsive and lying in the middle of the interstate near the 17th Street exit when police responded shortly before 10:30 p.m. He was pronounced dead by Grady Memorial Hospital medics.

The Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the victim as 34-year-old Nelso J. Suastegui-Morales. The driver who hit the man stayed to talk to investigators, according to Atlanta police.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the decedent, an adult male, ran into the roadway on the interstate and was struck by a vehicle,” the department said in a statement. “Charges are not anticipated in this case.”

All northbound lanes of the connector were closed until 11:15 p.m., creating major delays through Midtown, according to the WSB 24-hour Traffic Center. During the shutdown, northbound traffic was forced off at 10th Street.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

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