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Driver wanted after 9-year-old hit by car in Southwest Philly
A 9-year-old boy was injured in a hit-and-run in Southwest Philadelphia, and his mother is pleading for the driver to turn himself in as police release new images of the suspected vehicle.
PHILADELPHIA - A 9-year-old boy is recovering at home after being hit by a car while crossing the street in Southwest Philadelphia, and police are searching for the driver who left the scene.
Family describes what happened on South 56th Street
What we know:
The crash happened just before 12:30 p.m. Saturday on the 2200 block of South 56th Street, according to Philadelphia police.
The boy was coming back from the store with his brothers when he was hit by a car while crossing the street.
9-year-old boy hospitalized after hit-and-run in West Philadelphia
Philadelphia police are looking for a driver they say hit a young boy in broad daylight, then drove off, leaving him injured.
The boy’s mother, Kimyetta Demby, told FOX 29 she heard commotion outside and found her son in the street.
"I just heard commotion outside and then I heard my uncle snapping so I come outside and my uncle was out here and I seen my son in the middle of the street," said Demby. She said her son slipped while crossing between two cars and was struck by a vehicle that was speeding down the block. "He crossed in between these two cars and when he crossed he got right here and slipped and when he slipped… the car was zooming on the block," said Demby.
Demby said the driver stopped briefly, got out, and looked at the boy, but then left after being told to stop.
"He stopped. He got out. He looked. My uncle told him to back up because my son was stuck underneath the front," said Demby. "My uncle told him alright now stop the car and he told him no… and he proceeded to go. He went around him and pulled right off," said Demby.
The boy was taken to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and underwent surgery for a broken femur, cuts, bruises, and injuries requiring plastic surgery on his lip.
He will need months of physical therapy.
The family said the block is known for drivers speeding through, even though many children play in the area. "This is a block that’s known for kids out here playing.. there’s a bunch of kids that play here on the regular and they keep using this little block to speed through," said Demby.
The search for the driver and vehicle
What they're saying:
Demby pleaded for the driver to come forward. "Just turn yourself in…just turn yourself in," said Demby. She added, "It was an accident. You made it more than was by just leaving him there."
Philadelphia police are looking for this vehicle involved in a hit-and-run that injured a 9-year-old boy.
Philadelphia police released images of the vehicle, described as a mostly burgundy 2010-2013 Honda Crosstour with a black passenger-side fender, a green passenger-side front door, a white passenger-side rear door, and a bicycle rack on the roof.
The driver is described as a man between 25 and 35 years old with short hair and a beard.
Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
The boy, an honor roll student who loves school and football, is out of the hospital but still in pain, according to his family.
What we don't know:
Police have not yet identified or located the driver. It is not clear if there are any additional leads or surveillance footage beyond what has been released.
The Source: Information from Philadelphia police and interviews with the boy’s family.