It happened about 8 p.m. Sunday night in the 1300 block of Illinois Route 1.
Seventy-year-old Leonard Bottando was struck while walking to his car.
Bottando worked for the Steger Fire Department for about 30 years.
He also served with the Air Force Reserves and once owned an antique gas station where friends and family liked to gather.
"He was the life of the party," his son, Michael Bottando said. "People would come to him from all over the place with problems and he would tell them straight up exactly ok this is what you need to do or this is what the issue is and everybody just loved him."
Police are looking for a Chevy utility vehicle which they say has front-end damage.
