Caught on camera: Driver hits pedestrian during snowstorm in Fishtown

Sarah Bloomquist Image
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
Search continues for Fishtown hit-and-run driver
Search continues for Fishtown hit-and-run driver: Sarah Bloomquist reports on Action News at 6 p.m., January 15, 2019

FISHTOWN (WPVI) -- Police are searching for the driver of a vehicle, believed to be a red Jeep, who struck a man in the Fishtown section of Philadelphia.

It happened at Girard Avenue and Shackamaxon Street around 2:40 a.m. Sunday.

Police say the victim suffered serious injuries, and yet the driver kept going eastbound on Girard.

Late Tuesday afternoon, police released surveillance video of the collision. The video shows the Jeep striking the victim, who was thrown several feet.

"The vehicle is proceeding eastbound on Girard Avenue and it strikes a pedestrian who looks like he had come off the sidewalk to cross the street," said Philadelphia Police Captain Sekou Kinebrew. "It actually looks like he may have seen the vehicle, but wasn't able to get out of the way before being struck by that vehicle."

And after that, other camera angles show the red Jeep kept going, eastbound on Girard from Shackamaxon.

"It was a snowy night. It was dark. You can actually see after the collision that the vehicle fishtails a little as well, so maybe he was a little out of control. Or whoever was driving was a little out of control," said Kinebrew.

The victim suffered serious head injuries but is expected to survive. Now, the driver faces serious charges, especially because he or she left the scene without helping the injured man.

"Leaving the scene is the issue," said Kinebrew. "We understand that things happen on the road, but leaving the scene, failure to render aid, these are things that aggravate what's already a significantly traumatic situation."

Police aren't certain of the model of Jeep and said they could use the public's help.

They are urging the driver and anyone who might have been a passenger to surrender or come forward with information.

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