A 21-year-old man died in Northeast Philadelphia's Crescentville neighborhood Thursday night after police say he crashed his motorcycle into the side of a car.
Police were called to Whitaker Avenue near Herkness Street just after 10:30 p.m. for the crash, Chief Inspector Scott Small said at the scene. When they arrived, they found a 2000 Lincoln Town Car with heavy damage to its passenger side accompanied by its 25-year-old driver, a badly damaged Honda motorcycle, and the 21-year-old man who had been riding the motorcycle suffering serious injuries.
Medics pronounced the motorcycle rider dead at the scene at 10:46 p.m., police said.
Small said a preliminary investigation into the crash revealed that the man on the motorcycle apparently ran a steady red light as he traveled north on Whitaker Avenue and crashed into the side of the Town Car as it crossed the intersection. Small said witnesses told police the Town Car had a green light, and that evidence showed clearly that the motorcycle struck the car.
Accident investigation officers remained at the scene late Thursday investigating the crash as distraught relatives of the man who died gathered, mourning the young man's death. Small said the man is from Philadelphia, but did not live in the immediate area where the crash occurred.
The driver of the Town Car remained at the scene, Small said, and police did not expect charges to be filed based on their preliminary investigation.
