The man suspected of fatally mowing down a 17-year-old on the A-7 in Mijas tried to clean his van with bleach afterwards, it has been claimed.

Nikoline Piwoni Hoie was on holiday from Norway when she was struck on the motorway near to the exit for La Cala de Mijas in the early hours of July 6.

She had been out with friends in Puerto Banus, Marbella, celebrating her country’s victory over Brazil in the FIFA World Cup.

The discovery of her body sparked a manhunt by the Guardia Civil, who spent more than a week building their case against Jose Miguel G.C.

The 46-year-old was arrested in Calahonda on Monday after police linked his white Ford van to the collision.

According to respected newspaper El Español, he denied ever driving through the stretch of the A-7 where Nikoline was struck and claimed the damage to his van had another explanation.

One key breakthrough came from a local resident in Calahonda, who claimed she saw Jose Miguel washing his Ford van with bleach at around 8am on July 6 – less than three hours after the fatal collision, which happened at approximately 5.20am.

The suspect’s home is reportedly just one or two kilometres from the scene.

Investigators had already recovered fragments of broken glass from the motorway near kilometre 1027, close to the Riviera del Sol exit where Nikoline got out of an Uber carrying two young men after leaving Funky Buddha nightclub in Puerto Banús.

Those fragments allegedly matched the type of windscreen fitted to the suspect’s white Ford van.

Officers also reportedly concluded that damage to the vehicle’s chassis was consistent with striking a pedestrian rather than another vehicle or an animal.

Investigators then gathered further evidence using traffic cameras, CCTV footage and mobile phone positioning data.

According to reports, footage suggests the driver exited the motorway after the collision, altered his normal route home and spent time driving around before returning to Calahonda.

The Guardia Civil also relied on the testimony of the lorry driver who stopped after witnessing Nikoline being thrown over the motorway median following the impact.

The van has now been seized and is undergoing a detailed forensic examination, with specialists searching for blood, hair, clothing fibres or other genetic evidence that could link it directly to the collision.

Jose Miguel has so far been brought before a judge on suspicion of leaving the scene of an accident, an offence that carries a prison sentence of between six months and four years.

Whether additional charges are brought will depend largely on the final accident reconstruction and toxicology reports.

Investigators are still trying to determine how fast the van was travelling, whether the driver had any realistic opportunity to avoid the collision, and whether Nikoline had consumed alcohol or drugs before she left the Uber.

Authorities are also continuing to investigate why the teenager asked to be dropped off on the A-7 while travelling with two young men.

Investigators have not ruled out any possibilities and are examining whether she left the vehicle voluntarily or whether other factors influenced her actions in the moments before the tragedy.