17-year-old killed in Roosevelt Blvd. hit-run
Police are looking for an older model minivan and its driver who fled after fatally hitting a teenager as she was crossing Adams Avenue, near Roosevelt Boulevard, in the Crescentville section of Northeast Philadelphia late Monday.
Police are looking for an older model minivan and its driver who fled after fatally hitting a teenager as she was crossing Adams Avenue, near Roosevelt Boulevard, in the Crescentville section of Northeast Philadelphia late Monday.
The victim was identified late Tuesday afternoon as Markalyah Jackson, 17, of the 4900 block of North Boudinot Street in Feltonville.
Jackson was crossing Adams Avenue in the crosswalk, heading south about 11:30 p.m. Monday when the minivan, which had been heading north on the boulevard, turned right onto Adams and hit her, Capt. John Wilczynski of the Accident Investigation District said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The minivan had a green light on Roosevelt Boulevard when it was making the turn, and the pedestrian had a walk signal, the captain said.
When the van hit the teen, she flew up onto the hood and slammed into the windshield before being thrown about 180 feet, police said. The motorist drove away.
Medics pronounced Jackson, who suffered head trauma and internal injuries, dead at the scene.
Another motorist, who was stopped on Adams Avenue at the red light, witnessed the accident and called 911.
Wilczynski said the pedestrian was seen talking on a cellphone before she crossed Adams, but it was not clear if she was still on her phone when she crossed the street.
Police are looking for a white or silver minivan. They said the vehicle will have noticeable front-end damage, including to its windshield. It was not clear if the driver was male or female, Wilczynski said.
He said the driver was likely going faster than the 40 mph speed limit at that section of the boulevard.
Police said in dealing with the boulevard and a residential street, it is not always clear who has the right-of-way when a motorist and a pedestrian both have a green light.
"The driver should stop and yield to the pedestrian," Wilczynski said.
But he said: "It's a shared responsibility. Everybody knows the boulevard is a dangerous area."
Police Officer Bill Lackman added that it's a "tough" call. "A pedestrian can't walk in front of a turn that's in progress ... but if the pedestrian is out first, then it's a car's responsibility to slow down and allow" the pedestrian to cross.
Either way, "that driver had an obligation to stop," Wilczynski said, adding that there is a three-year minimum jail term for fleeing the scene of a fatal crash.
Anyone with information on this is asked to contact the Accident Investigation District at 215-685-3180, or call 911.
215-854-2592
@julieshawphilly