A group of runners spent the holiday weekend showing their support for a SEPTA officer who was injured during a hit-and-run crash while jogging last week.
SEPTA Officer Gary Miller, 44, was jogging on the 7600 block of Rowland Avenue back on May 22 when he was struck from behind by a Saturn sedan traveling south on the 7600 block of Rowland Avenue. The impact caused Miller to strike the windshield of the vehicle before landing on the road. Police say the driver did not stop and continued south on Rowland Avenue, then east on Oakmont Street.
Miller was critically injured in the crash.
On Sunday at 3 p.m. a group of two dozen runners gathered at the same intersection where Miller was struck and ran for four miles in the sweltering heat. They ended their run at an area near Aria Torresdale Hospital where they were met by Officer Miller's wife, Clara Alicea Miller. The runners hugged her and gave her cards, posters and running sneakers.
“We’re all runners so we all sweat together,” said Jon Lyons who helped organize Sunday’s event. “Our muscles all burn together. We’re a strong community.”
Miller’s wife later sent photos to NBC10 showing her husband holding up the signs and letters.
“He’s still in a lot of pain,” she said. “But thank God I still have him.”
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SEPTA Police Chief Thomas Nestel told NBC10 Miller not only has the support of his fellow runners but also his coworkers as well.
“He’s a good guy,” Chief Nestel said. “He’s a solid guy. One of those people the entire department is rallying behind.”
Police continue to search for the hit-and-run driver. They say he was driving a late 1990s to 2000s dark-colored Saturn sedan with a shattered windshield, front end damage, a driver side front tire that is either missing a hub cap or a spare “donut” tire and a rear spoiler.
If you have any information on the incident, please call 911 immediately.
