Video shows Philadelphia police officer leaving person in street before deadly hit-and-run

Philadelphia police are investigating an officer who, officials say, failed to help a man who was lying in the street before being hit by a car and killed.

A 48-year-old man was hit and killed around 1:45 a.m. Thursday on the 5500 block of Rising Sun Avenue in Olney, Philadelphia Police First Deputy Commissioner John M. Stanford said during a press conference Friday afternoon. 

Stanford said police officials did not find out about the crash until later Thursday morning when the medical examiner called to get more information. 

Video shows Philadelphia officer leaving man in street before deadly hit-and-run

CBS News Philadelphia obtained surveillance video of the hit-and run that also shows the officer leaving the man on the ground before the fatal crash.

Police said surveillance video shows the victim was walking “with an unsteady gait” in the bike lane on Rising Sun Avenue before he was hit. A police officer who was driving down the street at the time pulled over and spoke to the man.

The man then fell to the ground and was lying in the roadway, partially in the bike lane and partially in the traffic lane, Stanford said. The police officer pulled his car in front of the victim and got out to speak with him. The officer then went back to his vehicle and drove away while the victim was still lying in the road.

A civilian witness appeared to talk to the victim and then walk away, Stanford said. Then, as one car stopped, possibly to avoid hitting the victim, a second car continued through the area into the bike lane and hit the victim. 

Car sought in connection with deadly hit-and-run in Philadelphia

The driver who hit the victim was operating a green 2023-26 Kia Sportage, and police are looking for that car and the driver, Stanford said. The driver fled eastbound on Tabor Avenue after the crash, according to police.

Two witnesses moved the victim out of the road and called 911. Medics transported the victim to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead, Stanford said.

Police are asking the public for help finding the driver and the car.

The same officer who previously spoke to the victim was the first to respond to the scene, Stanford said. That officer, who has been placed on administrative duty, allegedly did not hold the scene, start a report or investigation, or provide medical care to the victim.

Stanford called the incident “very disturbing.” He did not name the officer or the victim.

“That goes against everything that we stand for,” Stanford said. “We talk about empathy, we talk about compassion as an organization, and none of those things were on display, and that’s a troubling piece for us from the very beginning of this incident.”

An active investigation into the crash and an internal probe into the officer’s conduct are underway. 

The officer worked in the 35th District and had two years of experience on the force, Stanford said.