Police Identify Woman Run Down by Tow Truck

Philadelphia Police searched Wednesday for the tow truck driver they say ran down a woman along a Northeast Philadelphia street before driving away.

The speeding truck struck Theresa Pozzi along the 8100 block of State Road in the Holmesburg section of the city around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said.

Pozzi was not crossing in the crosswalk at the time, said investigators. Witnesses told NBC10 the 33-year-old woman was hit with such force she was thrown down the street.

"They said her body was 50 [or] 100 feet away. One minute I saw her there and she was gone," said Linda Alfonsi who was on her way home from work when the hit and run happened. The victim's cellphone and purse flew into her windshield following the impact.

"He didn't even stop, like didn't ease up on the gas or nothing," Alfonsi said fighting back tears.

Alfonsi and others tried to keep the woman warm as they waited for paramedics to arrive.

"She was very injured. She did have a pulse. She was breathing, but she was convulsing so I don't know how much we would have been able to do for her," another witness, Kathy Metelous, said.

Pozzi severe head trauma and a possible broken neck from the impact, Small said. She died about an hour later at Aria-Torresdale Hospital.

"I'm numb," said Theresa's mother Anna Pozzi. "I'm just so numb. It's every mother's nightmare." 

Anna also had a message for the Good Samaritans who tried to save her daughter.

"I do want to thank the people who stayed with my daughter," she said. "I appreciate that from the bottom of my heart. It does give me confidence to know that my daughter was not left alone on the side of the road."

Witnesses did not get a good description of the tow truck, but investigators described it as an older model (1987-1991) dark-colored truck with front-end damage.

"We found several pieces of glass, broken glass, that we believe came from this tow truck," Small said.

Police expect to charge the driver with vehicular homicide once he is arrested, according to Small.

"Whoever the driver is knew that they hit her. You heard the impact. You heard the thump. You just know. I don't know how anybody could do that," Alfonsi said.

The Philadelphia Police Accident Investigation Division continued its investigation Wednesday.

"Anyone who can please help us find whoever it was that did this to my daughter, we would greatly appreciate it," Anna said.

If you have any information on the incident, please call police at 215-685-3180/3181 or call 911.