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Fatal hit-and-run in Camden under investigation
Camden police are investigating a hit-and-run that killed 64-year-old Kenneth Blane Smith, a well-known member of the community.
CAMDEN, NJ - Camden police are investigating a hit-and-run involving a well-known community member.
What we know:
All day cars slowly pass by South 7th Street in Camden looking at the memorial of Kenneth Blane Smith, a staple of the community.
"This was my best friend, I could call him in the middle of the night to do a Wawa run, fixed my air conditioner, fixed my stove, fixed my hot water tank, my gate, my door, whatever I needed, take me to the store, never said no," said Tayari Horcey.
What we quickly learned is that Kenneth didn’t say no to anybody, always a helping hand for the community.
Dig deeper:
Sadly, on August 7, it was Kenneth that was in need of help.
Police say just after 6:45 p.m. that day, they were called to the area for a motorcycle crash.
"That noise was so loud that it got me out the house. I had to come out and see what was going on, I thought it was my house," said a neighbor.
Neighbors found the 64-year-old on the ground unconscious.
"I was sitting right where the American Flag is on my porch and the cars just came down the block at 80 miles an hour," said Jackie Thomas.
Thomas witnessed the whole accident.
Authorities later determined Smith’s motorcycle had been struck by a stolen Chevrolet Blazer that fled the scene.
Sadly, Kenneth died from his injuries.
"I actually watched him perish, I was standing right over top of him, they actually moved me out of the way because I was a little hysterical," said Thomas.
The suspected vehicle was found unoccupied after it crashed into another parked vehicle on the 2100 Block of Master Street.
Police are still looking for the driver, which is a gut punch to those who loved Kenneth.
"He’s been my friend, been fixing my car, and he fixes neighborhood cars, he’s just a beautiful person, a lot of people are going to miss him," said Ricky Rodriguez, a friend.
As the community waits for police to track down Kenneth’s killer, they will remember the many blessings he brought to this city.
"All this is unnecessary, all of this on a fence for what, turn yourself in, that’s all you got to do. Turn yourself in that’s all we want, turn yourself in for this man, all the stuff that he did for people, come on now something’s got to give," said Horcey.
What you can do:
A GoFundMe has been created on behalf of Kenneth.
You can find a QR code on both memorials in Camden or you can access it through this link: https://gofund.me/27c287fa.