CHICAGO – Police are searching for the driver that hit and killed a man before speeding off overnight in the city’s Garfield Park neighborhood.
According to the Chicago Police Department, the crash happened around 12:11 a.m. at the intersection of South Homan Avenue and West Harrison Street.
Surveillance video obtained by WGN News shows the victim walking diagonally across the intersection moments before the deadly crash.
As the man is standing in the travel lane, the suspect driver comes across the intersection traveling northbound on S. Homan, and hits him, sending him tumbling in between two vehicles waiting for the light in the opposite direction.
Several drivers appeared to pull over and a woman can be seen on video running into the intersection and trying to help the man before first responders arrived. The man was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Chicago police say the suspect vehicle may be a silver Nissan Maxima with a black roof, a broken windshield, mirror, and left-front bumper. Authorities released a photo of the vehicle taken on a POD camera at the intersection of S. Homan and West Flournoy Street, one block before the crash.
The Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office has not yet publicly identified the victim but people who live and work in the area say he is facing homelessness and frequents the block often. They hope if his family reads this, they know the community cares about him.
“Hurt, pain, and sadness for his family that probably don’t even know,” said resident Tina Junious. “It saddens me that stuff like this happens; that a person hits a person and keeps going. Don’t even have the decency to stop.”
Junious and other residents said they learned of the crash hours later. She told WGN News it makes her emotional, even though she can’t recall whether she’s met the man personally.
“My grandson’s life was taken from him and just to hear anybody’s life was taken from them, it saddens me; it hurts me,” she said. “Justice deserves to be served.”
CPD’s Major Accident Investigation Unit is investigating the crime. Anyone with information is encouraged to call 312-745-4521.