Authorities are working to determine if a body found in burning in a car in North Philly Wednesday is related to a shooting that occurred a few blocks away.
Witnesses told police they saw a man shot in the head around 4 p.m. inside a black Mitsubishi Galant on the 400 block of Roselyn Street in the Olney section of the city, said Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small.
The driver then sped away from the scene with the shooting victim in the front passenger seat, police said.
Patrol officers spotted a car, matching the Mitsubishi's description, engulfed in flames on the 6100 block of Lawrence Street --about three blocks from the shooting-- around 7:45 p.m.
Firefighters responded to the scene and discovered the body of a man burned beyond recognition. Investigators are unsure of the victim's age or race.
They also said the vehicle's license plate was missing. Witnesses told police they saw a man running from the scene and then hopping into a red car.
While police have not officially identified the body or determined a cause of death, Star Watson told NBC10 she believes the victim is her 24-year-old brother. Watson claims her family went looking for him after hearing he had been shot.
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"We saw smoke coming from the air and we ran and got to the burning car before the cops did just by running on foot," Watson said.
No arrests have been made and police have not released information on any suspects. Police continue to investigate.
