A driver fled the scene after fatally striking a woman who was using a wheelchair early Tuesday morning in East Fairmount Park, police said.
Authorities responded at around 1:45 a.m. to the 2200 block of Reservoir Drive, in a section of the park adjacent to the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood. Medics pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene, and the PPD, in an incident report, said her wheelchair was found on the opposite side of the street “shattered into multiple pieces.”
Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told reporters at the scene that one of the woman’s boots was found nearly 100 feet away from her body, while the other was still on her foot.
The PPD has not publicly identified the victim or provided her age. Investigators said the driver may have been behind the wheel of a silver vehicle.
Less than 30 hours earlier, a 42-year-old female pedestrian was killed by a hit-and-run driver in Fairhill, according to authorities.
The crash happened at around 7:30 p.m. Sunday, when the driver of a Hyundai Sonata struck the woman as they were turning left onto Indiana Avenue from 5th Street, investigators said.
Police have not released the victim’s name. She died a short time after the collision at Temple University Hospital.
Authorities said the occupants of the Hyundai abandoned the vehicle and ran from the area.
The PPD has not reported any arrests in connection with the collisions. Anyone with information is asked to contact the department’s Crash Investigation Division at 215-684-3180 or call or text 215-686-TIPS (8477).
Data police provided to Metro indicates that there have been 26 fatal hit-and-run crashes this year in Philadelphia, down about 28% compared to the same date in 2023. The total number of crashes where a driver fled the scene is also down nearly 20%, according to the PPD statistics.
