Hit-and-run driver sought after severely injured man found lying in Phoenix road

PHOENIX - Silent Witness is asking for the public's help to identify the driver of a vehicle involved in a serious hit-and-run crash.

What we know:

A 42-year-old man was lying in the roadway at 4 a.m. on Sept. 13 near 27th Avenue and Glendale when he was struck by a red sedan. The driver of the vehicle continued northbound after hitting the victim.

Detectives note that the motorist may not have even known they hit someone before continuing down the road. 

What we don't know:

It remains unclear why the victim was in the street. Investigators believe the individual may have been hit by another vehicle prior to the crash or may have entered the roadway on their own, as similar cases have involved victims darting across the street or lying in the road.

"All we have is a red sedan," Detective Mike Fischer said. "Unknown who the driver was at this time."

What they're saying:

"This person may have been going to work and not realizing, like I said, not realizing. So the main thing is, if you’re ever involved in an accident where you’re going to feel the jolt, if you’re driving, and you hit something, the best thing to do is stop. And if it’s a person laying in the roadway that you hit, call police, call fire department, and we’ll take care of that."

When asked why the individual might have been lying in the road to begin with, Detective Fischer explained the possibilities.

"Yeah, we believe that this person was hit by another previously, and it was just laying there. Or this person may have been on their own just laying on the road because we have cases like that where, for whatever reason, these victims, they just dart across the street when the vehicle is coming, or they lay on the roadway, like in this case. So we’re not exactly sure what the reasoning was for this person being on the road, but we know for sure that this vehicle that we’re showing on the screen was the vehicle responsible for the hit-and-run."

What you can do:

Anyone with information on this hit-and-run crash can call Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO for Spanish. Tips can also be submitted online at silentwitness.org.

Map of where the pedestrian was struck.