What to Know
- Terrell Russell, 25, of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged in the hit-and-run death of Shanna Hurdle, 30, in Cheltenham Township back on Sept. 27.
- Police said Russell crashed into Hurdle, sending her flying 152 feet. He initially braked but then fled the scene, running over Hurdle's body, according to investigators.
- Investigators used surveillance video and broken parts from the striking vehicle to track Russell down, police said.
Police arrested a driver accused of crashing into a woman and then running over her body before fleeing the scene in Cheltenham Township last month.
Terrell Russell, 25, of Philadelphia, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, tampering with evidence, failing to render aid, careless driving leading to an unintentional death and failure to notify police of an accident.
On Sept. 27, shortly after 8 p.m., Shanna Hurdle, 30, of Philadelphia, was standing in the center left turn lane on Cheltenham Avenue near Ogontz Avenue when she was struck by a white vehicle. The impact sent Hurdle flying 152 feet before landing on the road.
The striking vehicle initially stopped after the crash but then continued westbound and ran over Hurdle’s body as it fled the scene.
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Hurdle was found dead at the scene by responding police officers.
Investigators determined the striking vehicle was a 2020 GMC Acadia after analyzing broken grill and trim parts from the crash scene that were stamped with General Motors part numbers. They also found surveillance video of the vehicle which showed front-end damage.
Police obtained a list of all GMC Acadias owned in Montgomery, Philadelphia, Bucks and Delaware counties before narrowing down their search based on trim packages. They then made more than 100 in-person checks of the remaining vehicles to look for crash damage.
They then checked for Acadias from rental companies in the area which led them to Russell, investigators said.
Records from Enterprise Rental on Cheltenham Avenue showed Russell had rented the Acadia on Sept. 18 and had not returned it on time even after extending the rental contract twice, according to police.
Investigators also obtained surveillance video showing the hit-and-run vehicle fleeing westbound on Cheltenham Avenue, south on Upsal Avenue and west on Michigan Avenue. Another video showed the damaged vehicle stopping behind an alley near Russell’s Philadelphia home, police said.
On Oct. 15, police recovered the hit-and-run vehicle and determined it was the same vehicle Russell had rented.
“This was an excellent investigation that combined high-tech investigative techniques with good old-fashioned police work to lead us to this defendant. I also want to thank the public for helping with tips following the release of the still images of the car we were looking for,” Montgomery County District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said. “Our thoughts and prayers remain with the victim’s family and can only hope that knowing who hit Shanna and then left the scene of her death helps them during this difficult time.”
Russell was arraigned with bail set at $50,000 unsecured.
