1 killed in Blvd. crash; driver pulls victim through sunroof, attempts to take license plate: Police

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Police are searching for the driver who fled the scene of a fatal crash on the southbound Roosevelt Boulevard in the Oxford Circle section of Philadelphia.

It happened around 3 a.m. Friday on the Boulevard at Devereaux Avenue.

Philadelphia police responded to the scene after receiving 911 calls of a crash and an overturned vehicle.

Arriving officers found a 34-year-old woman lying on the grassy median of the Boulevard and an overturned Toyota Scion nearby.

While authorities have not released her name, family members identified the woman as Izairaliz Espinoza.

She was pronounced dead at the scene and suffered trauma to her head, police say.

Witnesses told officers the male driver of the Scion was swerving and driving recklessly at a high rate of speed on the roadway. The vehicle jumped the center median and struck a light pole before flipping onto its side.

According to witnesses, the driver climbed out of the vehicle and then pulled the female passenger out through the sunroof.

Witnesses told police the driver then attempted to pull the license plate off the Scion but was unsuccessful. He then fled on foot, crossing lanes of the Boulevard.

"There is blood on the license plate and you can clearly see the license plate was completely bent up. Someone appears to have tried to tear that plate from the back of the vehicle," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Police say they found identification for the male and female inside the vehicle. They are hoping the speed cameras on the Boulevard will help in their investigation.