Rewards offered in child hit-run cases

The Citizens Crime Commission is offering separate $2,500 rewards for help solving two hit-and-run cases involving children - one of the fatal - over the weekend.

At about 8:20 p.m. Saturday, Derek Martinez, 2, was fatally struck by a silver Mercedes-Benz as he and his mother crossed the intersection at Sixth Street and Washington Avenue in South Philadelphia.

The Mercedes, which had tinted windows and chrome wheels, is likely to have front-end damage, police said.

The toddler was pronounced dead at 9:04 p.m. at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. His mother, Dianica Leone, 20, was released after being treated for leg and other injuries at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

About 7:30 Sunday evening, a black Dodge Charger drove away after hitting two boys on bikes at Herbert and Large Streets in the Northeast.

The vehicle is believed to have tinted windows, damage to the front left side, and perhaps a flat tire.

The boys, 11 and 13, were in stable condition later that night at St. Christopher's Hospital.

The rewards were funded by AAA Mid-Atlantic, which called the accidents "senseless and preventable" and urged drivers involved in a crash to always wait for police and medical personnel.

Anyone with information should call the commission's anonymous tip line at 215-546-8477 (215-546-TIPS).

No one has to give a name to be eligible for a reward, explained Santo Montecalvo, commission vice president. Each caller is given a seven-digit code number to use if the his or her information leads to an arrest and conviction, Montecalvo said.

About five rewards have been paid out in the past year, he said. Pending is a $25,000 reward, which is expected to be distributed if there's a conviction in the murder of Northern Liberties waitress Sabina Rose O'Donnell.