Police search for hit-and-run driver who damaged 6 cars in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A community is on the hunt to find the driver responsible for damaging six cars in West Philadelphia Saturday night.

Kate Hinchey-Wise and her wife thought it was just spam when they received a call that their vehicle was in an accident, but when they looked out their window, Hinchey-Wise saw her gray Subaru sitting upright with another car wedged underneath.

"I thought immediately, 'Oh my God. What are we going to do?' It looked very clearly immediately it had been totaled," she told Action News, adding that it is her only mode of transportation.

Hinchey-Wise said video from her neighbor's ring doorbell camera shows a black pick-up truck speeding down Chestnut Street between 44th and 45th streets around 10:20 p.m. when it smashed into a car.

The impact was so strong it caused the vehicles ahead to surge forward, crashing into each other.

Police said six vehicles were damaged. Several car parts remained on the ground Sunday afternoon.

"I've been in accidents before and felt terrible when I caused a problem, but this is a pretty major accident that's changing multiple families' lives, so I'm really surprised somebody would do that and leave," said Hinchey-Wise.

"It was very, very scary. I don't think it's safe here," said Nijanthan Vasudevan, who lives near the crime scene.

Neighbors said drivers speed down the residential area often, and they would like to see more of a police presence to prevent future incidents.

Meanwhile, Hinchey-Wise took to social media asking for help to find the driver.

A resident sent her a photo of a black GMC pick-up truck with the front passenger side destroyed. He said it was abandoned blocks away on 42nd and Market streets.

Police later confirmed the 2015 GMC Sierra was the same car involved in the crash.

Officers said the vehicle fled the scene eastbound on Chestnut Street.

The driver was not with the vehicle when it was later found abandoned.

"The more information the better," said Hinchey-Wise. "We just want to be able to get back on the road and get our family to work, that's our biggest thing, and get my dad to the doctors."

Philadelphia police said they're investigating this crash.