PHILADELPHIA, PA – Investigators with the Philadelphia Police Department are investigating a hit-and-run crash that happened last Friday at around 11:54 a.m. in the area of 56th Street and Vine Street. According to police, the owner of a vehicle picked up two day workers near 18th Street and Ontario Street.
After parking his vehicle on the street and leaving the keys inside as the driver entered an auto repair store, one of the day workers sleeping in the back seat of the vehicle climbed into the driver’s seat and began driving. The day worker jumped the parking block and crossed over the sidewalk to turn eastbound on Vine Street. Four pedestrians were struck while crossing Vine Street.
The suspect fled the scene and later abandoned the vehicle and the area of the 5300 block of Race Street. He then fled the area and eluded police.
A five-year-old girl was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. A three-year-old girl and a one-year-old boy were each treated for their injuries and released from the hospital.
The fourth victim was a 43-year-old man who remains hospitalized in stable condition at Presbyterian Hospital.