Philadelphia officer leaves man in road before fatal hit-and-run, police investigate
Philadelphia police are investigating an officer who abandoned a man lying in the street before a vehicle struck and killed him.
First Deputy Commissioner John M. Stanford briefed reporters that a 48-year-old man was killed around 1:45 a.m. on Rising Sun Avenue after being struck by a hit-and-run vehicle. Surveillance video captured a police officer pulling over, talking to the man, and then leaving the scene while the victim lay partially in the bike lane and traffic lane. A civilian witness also approached the victim before a green 2023-26 Kia Sportage entered the bike lane and hit him; the driver fled east on Tabor Avenue.
Two witnesses moved the victim off the road and called 911, but he was pronounced dead at a hospital. The officer, who has two years of service in the 35th District, has been placed on administrative duty and faces an internal investigation for failing to secure the scene or provide aid. Police are asking the public to help locate the Kia Sportage and its driver.
Why it matters
The case raises concerns about police conduct and public safety after an officer failed to protect a vulnerable victim.
In this story
