Philadelphia police have located the green Kia they believe was used in a deadly hit-and-run in the city’s Olney neighborhood on Thursday, and a person believed to have been behind the wheel has been identified, investigators said. The vehicle has been towed to a police impound lot, sources told Action News.
The crash happened on Rising Sun Avenue near the intersection with Olney Avenue, when the Kia entered a bike lane to pass another vehicle and struck and killed a 48-year-old man, police said. Less than five minutes earlier, the man had fallen in the bike lane, and video now under review by Philadelphia Police Internal Affairs appears to show an officer leaving him in the street before the fatal collision.
The officer has since been placed on administrative leave and is accused of failing to report the incident and failing to assist a person in need, according to police. Investigators also told Action News they had found a person they believed was the driver of the Kia, though it remained unclear Saturday whether that person would face any charges.
The case now spans two parallel inquiries. Detectives are working to bring charges against the driver of the Kia, while the department’s review of the officer’s actions in the minutes before the crash continues. The placed-on-leave officer’s alleged failure to render aid has become a central focus of that side of the investigation.
Pennsylvania law requires drivers involved in crashes resulting in death or serious bodily injury to stop, render aid and notify police, and leaving the scene of a fatal collision is treated as a separate crime under state statute.
Reported by WPVI-TV.
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