A 24-year-old man was killed in a hit-and-run crash early Friday in Philadelphia’s Germantown neighborhood.
Just after 1 a.m., police and paramedics responded to reports of a crash with injuries at Chelten Avenue and Baynton Street. When they arrived, they found the man lying unresponsive in the roadway, according to Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The man was rushed to Einstein Hospital, where he died minutes later.
A preliminary investigation found that the victim was riding a small electric motorcycle when a white or light-colored sedan struck him.
Witnesses told police the sedan was traveling westbound on Chelten Avenue when it struck the man. The driver then drove away from the scene, continuing westbound on Chelten Avenue, police said.
Investigators believe the crash occurred beneath a railroad trestle, rather than at an intersection or crosswalk. Police have not determined which direction the victim was traveling at the time.
The impact appeared to have thrown the motorcycle more than 100 feet, with the victim and the motorcycle found in separate locations. Small said the man’s sneakers were also knocked off during the crash, with one found in the roadway beneath the trestle and the other on the sidewalk, approximately 75 to 100 feet apart.
Investigators recovered several broken white vehicle parts that police said may have come from a Ford vehicle. However, police have not released a description of the driver or identified the specific vehicle model.
According to Small, the electric motorcycle the victim was riding was not street legal because it lacked lights, turn signals, a license plate and an inspection sticker.
Anyone with any information that could help in this investigation is urged to contact the Philadelphia Police Department at 215-686-TIPS (8477) or anonymously online here.
