Philadelphia police are looking for a driver who fled the scene of a crash that killed a female passenger after trying to pry the license plate of the wrecked vehicle Friday morning.
The single-vehicle crash involving a gray Toyota Scion occurred around 2:50 a.m. on Roosevelt Boulevard and Devereaux Avenue in the Oxford Circle neighborhood, Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small told NBC10.
Witnesses saw a man exit one of the windows of the car, pull a female out from the sunroof and lay her next to the vehicle, Small said, adding that the driver also tried to rip off the Toyota’s license plate.
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When unsuccessful, he fled on foot, crossed over the northbound lanes and ran off eastbound, witnesses told police.
The woman was India Castor, a mother to a 9-year-old girl, her family told NBC10 sister station Telemundo 62. She was in a relationship with the man, the family said.
Police later found the Toyota’s license plate bent, as well as blood and fingerprints on it, Small said.
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Witnesses told police that the Toyota was traveling southbound on the inner lanes on U.S. Route 1 from Devereaux Avenue “at a high rate of speed” and traveling recklessly, as well as “swerving all over the road,” Small said.
Witnesses added that the vehicle jumped the median, knocked into a streetlight pole, tore off the streetlight’s base, flipped and landed on the drivers’ side, Small said.
When police officers arrived on location, they found the Toyota on its side on the median strip. Next to the vehicle was a 35-year-old woman on her back with severe head trauma. She was pronounced dead at the scene at 2:58 a.m.
Identification for both the man and woman were found inside the crashed car, Small said.
The investigation is active and ongoing with the Philadelphia Police Department’s Accident Investigation Division.
Speed cameras along Roosevelt Boulevard could help police verify the identity of the driver, the chief inspector added.
“We do know there’s some speed cameras in the area along Roosevelt Boulevard, so hopefully these cameras and other cameras -- as well as witness accounts -- can help us identify who was driving this vehicle," Small said.
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