ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – St. Petersburg Police are searching for a driver who is accused of hitting a man riding an e-bike early Monday morning.
Hit-and-run investigation
What we know:
Investigators say the woman hit the man around 1:21 Monday morning.
Then, they believe she lost control of the car and crashed into Big Dan’s Car Wash sign at 220 34th Street North. Afterwards, they believe she took off on foot.
The victim has non-life-threatening injuries.
Other hit-and-run crashes
By the numbers:
The incident follows another recent hit-and-run in the area earlier this month, where a 47-year-old woman died after being struck while crossing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South near 15th Avenue South while she was in a marked crosswalk.
Despite recent incidents, police data indicates hit-and-run crashes in the city are trending downward.
Lt. Jason Levey reported that hit-and-run crashes dropped from 1,448 between June 30, 2024-June 29, 2025, to 1,352 from June 30, 2025-June 30, 2026.
Serious criminal offense
What they’re saying:
Levey emphasized that fleeing the scene turns a traffic incident into a serious criminal offense.
“When somebody gets into a crash, they need to stop, render aid, provide their information,” Levey said. “When they leave, that’s when it becomes a crime. There could be many reasons people leave … but unfortunately, when they’re scared, and they leave, that’s when it becomes a bigger problem that we have to get involved from a criminal aspect.”
Consequences of leaving the scene
Dig deeper:
Penalties for leaving the scene of a crash escalate significantly depending on the damage:
Property Damage: Second degree misdemeanor and up to 60 days in jailInjuries: Up to five years in prison and a three-year driver’s license revocationSerious Bodily Injury: Up to 15 years in prisonFatality: Up to 30 years in prison with a four-year mandatory minimum sentence Search for driver
What’s next:
The crash remains under active investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department.
The Source: Information in this story is from the St. Petersburg Police Department.