{"id":295796,"date":"2026-09-28T21:52:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:52:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/295796\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T21:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T21:52:09","slug":"heres-why-many-hit-and-runs-in-philadelphia-go-unsolved-nbc10-philadelphia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/295796\/","title":{"rendered":"Here\u2019s why many hit-and-runs in Philadelphia go unsolved \u2013 NBC10 Philadelphia"},"content":{"rendered":"

For many families devastated by a fatal hit-and-run, the wait for justice can last years and often never comes. The NBC10 Investigators found that one major reason is that while police often identify the vehicle involved, proving who was behind the wheel is far more difficult.<\/p>\n

Since 2019, 230 people have been killed in hit-and-run crashes in Philadelphia. Police arrested people in 44 of those cases, according to data the department provided and NBC10 Investigators reviewed.<\/p>\n

That means roughly four out of every five fatal hit-and-runs have not resulted in an arrest.<\/p>\n

“It’s the not knowing,” said Angela McDonald, whose son, Mark McDonald-Ringgold, was killed in a hit-and-run crash. “It is not the grief that will hurt you. It’s the not knowing.”<\/p>\n

A mother’s search for justice<\/p>\n

On July 31, 2025, an SUV struck 32-year-old Mark McDonald-Ringgold on Delancey Street in the city’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood, police said.<\/p>\n

McDonald-Ringgold died from his injuries the following day.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"On<\/p>\n

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On July 31, 2025, an SUV struck 32-year-old Mark McDonald-Ringgold on Delancey Street in the city’s Cobbs Creek neighborhood, police said.<\/p>\n

Police quickly located a Jeep they believe was involved in the crash. More than a year later, however, no charges have been filed.<\/p>\n

“So, you had a car within a matter of hours, but yet we’re still here,” McDonald, a retired Philadelphia police officer, said. “We’re still here.”<\/p>\n

For families, waiting can be agonizing.<\/p>\n

“You have sleepless nights, long nights,” she said.<\/p>\n

Why cases are difficult to solve<\/p>\n

Finding the vehicle involved in a fatal hit-and-run is only one step in building a criminal case, investigators said.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia police Capt. Stephen Clark, who oversees the department’s Crash Investigation Division, said detectives must prove who was behind the wheel at the time of the crash.<\/p>\n

“We have to show what evidence we have that says that that person was behind the wheel of that car,” Clark said.<\/p>\n

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Police quickly located a Jeep they believe was involved in the crash. More than a year later, however, no charges have been filed.<\/p>\n

That challenge remains even when police recover a vehicle and collect DNA or fingerprint evidence.<\/p>\n

“Particularly if it’s a car that’s used by multiple people in a household,” Clark said.<\/p>\n

Investigators said surveillance cameras, often viewed as key evidence, do not always provide the answers people expect.<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMore than four months after Angela McDonald lost her son after a hit-and-run in Philly’s Cobb Creek neighborhood, the retired Philadelphia cop is still hoping for an arrest in the case, as well as a change in Pennsylvania’s laws for those involved in a hit-and-run. NBC10’s Shaira Arias has the story.\u00a0\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Doorbell cameras and business security cameras frequently capture only side views of vehicles or footage from too far away to identify drivers.<\/p>\n

A parking lot full of evidence<\/p>\n

At a Philadelphia police evidence lot near Philadelphia International Airport, rows of damaged vehicles and vehicle parts represent potential clues in unsolved crashes.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia police Officer Bryan Devlin showed the NBC10 Investigators how detectives use vehicle fragments left behind at crash scenes to narrow their search.<\/p>\n

“The part number helps us narrow down a specific model,” Devlin said.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Rows<\/p>\n

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Rows of cars, motorcycles and other vehicles sit idle inside the Philadelphia Police Department’s impound lot, serving as potential evidence in ongoing investigations.<\/p>\n

Investigators can often determine a vehicle’s make and model from pieces left at a crash scene. Identifying the driver, however, is often far more difficult.<\/p>\n

“That damage is there,” Devlin said while examining evidence from a crash investigation.<\/p>\n

Technology is helping<\/p>\n

Police say newer investigative tools are helping solve some cases.<\/p>\n

Cellphone GPS data can place a person near a crash scene or show a phone was connected to a vehicle during a critical period.<\/p>\n

Investigators can also review cellphone videos recorded by witnesses that may capture the vehicle, the driver or both.<\/p>\n

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Cellphone GPS data can place a person near a crash scene or show a phone was connected to a vehicle during a critical period.<\/p>\n

Clark encouraged anyone with information to come forward, even if they are unsure how significant it may be.<\/p>\n

“Anything, even if you think it’s small, it could be a detail that we haven’t come across yet,” Clark said.<\/p>\n

Caseload for investigators<\/p>\n

The Crash Investigation Division is responsible for investigating fatal hit-and-runs and other serious traffic crashes citywide.<\/p>\n

According to police, 18 investigators working across three shifts handle those cases.<\/p>\n

“The fatals take a higher priority because we’re trying to get that arrest more quickly than the other ones,” Clark said. “But it’s a huge caseload for our investigators.”<\/p>\n

Even so, police say they continue working cases long after public attention fades.<\/p>\n

“It might seem a long time, but we’re not going to give up on it,” Clark said.<\/p>\n

City working to reduce traffic deaths<\/p>\n

Philadelphia continues to invest in traffic safety initiatives as part of its Vision Zero effort, a strategy aimed at eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries.<\/p>\n

The city spends approximately $5 million annually on traffic safety measures, including enforcement and roadway improvements intended to prevent deadly crashes before they happen.<\/p>\n

Investigators are trying to improve clearance rates for fatal hit-and-run cases.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Damage<\/p>\n

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Damage to a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run sits inside the Philadelphia Police Department’s impound lot.<\/p>\n

“We’re trying to get toward that 100% level of solvability,” Clark said.<\/p>\n

In McDonald-Ringgold’s case, police told the NBC10 Investigators they have identified the driver they believe was involved and have forwarded the case to the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office. The DA’s Office declined an interview request and referred questions to police.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia police are finalizing a program that would offer rewards of up to $20,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of people responsible for fatal hit-and-run crashes.<\/p>\n

“The Philadelphia Police Department is currently finalizing the policy governing the program,” a spokesperson said. “We expect to have the policy in place in the near future and will share additional information once it is finalized.”<\/p>\n

The NBC10 Investigators can be reached at david.charns@nbcuni.com<\/a> and ali.ingersoll@nbcuni.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For many families devastated by a fatal hit-and-run, the wait for justice can last years and often never…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295797,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[12223,69,71,70],"class_list":["post-295796","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-philadelphia","tag-nbc10-investigators","tag-philadelphia","tag-philadelphia-headlines","tag-philadelphia-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295796","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295796"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295796\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295797"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295796"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295796"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295796"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}