Four people ran from an SUV after the driver hopped the curb of a Philadelphia street and killed a woman walking on the sidewalk overnight. Philadelphia police said the unidentified woman may have worked in the medical field.
"This female had no chance," Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said. "It's a real tragedy."
Police officers found the woman, who was wearing medical scrubs, unresponsive on the sidewalk along Greene Street, near West School House Lane, in the Germantown neighborhood just after 11 p.m. Thursday, police said.
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"She had severe trauma to her head and her body," Small said.
Medics pronounced the woman dead on the scene.
A witness told police they saw a white Chevy Tahoe SUV going north on Greene Street cross over into oncoming traffic, jump the curb and strike a utility pole with such force to break the pole in two places, Small said.
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The SUV then struck the woman, dragging her about 15 feet, and possibly running her over, Small said.
After the crash, the driver moved the SUV back onto the street, police said. Four people then jumped out of the SUV and ran off, leaving the SUV -- its airbags deployed -- behind.
"This is a hit-and-run auto accident," Small said.
Police planned to search the vehicle and search for information from its license plate.
Around 9 a.m. Friday, police said they had one person of interest in the deadly crash in custody. They said charges were pending further investigation.
Later, a law enforcement source told NBC10's Deanna Durante that investigators used the license plate on the crashed SUV to track down a woman who they found at her home. The woman admitted she was driving the Tahoe, the source said.
