Police have identified a vehicle of interest in a hit-and-run crash that killed a 2-year-old on Sunday afternoon in southeast Erie.
The crash happened around 4:40 p.m. east of Mountain View Boulevard and north of Village Vista Drive, according to an Erie Police Department social media post. Dispatch received the initial call from a motorist who stopped after they saw the toddler lying in the road, according to Erie police spokesperson Amber Luttrell. The driver of the vehicle that struck the toddler had fled the scene, police say.
Emergency personel tried to save the child, but the child succumbed to the injuries, the post states.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage from the surrounding area and identified a vehicle of interest that was in the area around the time of the crash, Luttrell said. Investigators are in contact with that individual as part of the ongoing investigation.
Police called the driver’s choice to leave the scene illegal and “deeply troubling,” and they urged the driver to come forward.
“There are no words that can ease the pain of such a loss,” Erie police said in the post. “We extend our deepest sympathy to the family and ask the community to surround them with compassion and respect.”
Sunday afternoon’s fatal crash was Erie’s second on Sunday and third serious crash of the weekend. Just after midnight Saturday night, police responded to a single-car crash that killed an 18-year-old Commerce City man, sent the passenger to a hospital and set the car on fire. Friday night, a 15-year-old was hospitalized with serious injuries after a crash between a passenger car and an electric motor vehicle at Erie Parkway and Briggs Street, according to an Erie police social media post.
Anyone with information about the incident involving the toddler is asked to call 303-441-4444, police said in the post. The investigation remains ongoing, police said.
Information about the identity of the 2-year-old and the circumstances of the crash was not available.
This is a developing story and may be updated.