Woman walking home from work in Philadelphia killed in hit-and-run; suspect sought

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A 29-year-old woman died Sunday afternoon after being involved in a hit-and-run crash earlier in the day, Philadelphia police said.

According to police, 29-year-old Tiffany Reed of the 2500 block of North 18th Street, was hit by an unknown vehicle near the intersection of Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue at about 3:45 a.m.

The driver left the scene.

Reed was taken to Albert Einstein Medical Center where she died about 13 hours later.

"Tiffany was talking about, 'I'm trying to fix my credit, and I'm about to buy me a house,' and you know, 'I'm a manager now,'" said her stepmother, Gwendolyn Carty. "She was doing really well."

"I talked to my sister an hour before she died, and I can never talk to her again," said Reed's sister, Nyanna Crosby.

Reed was coming home from her job as a manager at a local Wendy's. That's when police say the car, seen momentarily on surveillance video, struck Reed as she was crossing Broad Street and Lehigh Avenue and sped away.

Reed's fiancé, Indiana Johnson, says it's amazing she lasted as long as she did considering the extent of her injuries.

But she wants to know why the driver kept on going.

"Why didn't they stop is my question - not stop to make sure she's okay," said Johnson. "We need justice. She needs justice. Her family needs justice. Everyone is hurting."

That includes Tiffany's sister, Nyiaah Debose, who says the last time she spoke with her sister, they were arguing.

"Me and her couldn't even make up or hug each other," she said. "Me and my sister always make up. We always get back together, because me and her are always together."

So far, the only details investigators can lift from the video is that the striking vehicle is a dark-colored sedan which will now have some front-end damage.

Meanwhile, Tiffany Reed's family has a message for the person responsible.

"Maybe you didn't mean to do it. Maybe you were drunk or high, but we just want an apology," said Crosby. "You took my mom's child. My mom is hurting."