Tammi Beers Frias of Aloha holds a picture of her son, Harley Rocher, 18, who was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Beaverton in January 2013. The driver and involved vehicle have still not been found. Police say a lack of witnesses and evidence left at the scene have made solving the case difficult. (Everton Bailey Jr./The Oregonian)
An ongoing collection of unsolved hit-and-run cases, with a focus on car/pedestrian incidents, from across the country since Jan. ‘010. If you know something about any of these incidents, or one that I’ve missed, do the right thing and call the police, even anonymously.
4836. Charlotte, NC. March 5. 51-year-old woman fatally struck by a white Chevy Express van which fled the scene.
4837. Escondido, Cal. March 6. 51-year-old man injured when struck by a silver vehicle which fled the scene.
4838. Collingdale, Pa. March 7. 58-year-old man fatally struck by a Chevy Subruban which fled the scene.
4839. Sunland, Cal. March 8. 18-year-old man in street after collision fatally struck by a different unknown vehicle which fled the scene.
4840-43. Chapel Hill, NC. March 8. Four pedestrians struck by an unknown vehicle which fled the scene.
4844. Waimalu, Hawaii. March 8. Man in his 20s critically injured when struck by an unidentified vehicle which fled the scene.
4845. Queens, NY. March 7. 64-year-old man fatally struck by a Chevy Blazer (1998-2005) which fled the scene.
4846. Newport News, Va. March 7. Man suffers life-threatening injuries when struck by a white pickup truck which fled the scene.
Related stories:
Yeshua Shafford
And I quote (I)…
Police say Shinnamon was driving a black Dodge when he struck the back of a blue compact car Tuesday night near 38th Street and southbound Interstate 65. Six-month old Yeshua Shafford was in a car seat but was still thrown from the car, police said.
And I quote (II)…
NASHUA, N.H. —Surveillance video played a key role in the arrest of a Nashua woman accused of hitting and killing a man with her car, according to police documents.
And I quote (III)…
The victim was reportedly walking in the street when he was struck. While nobody who answered their door Friday afternoon said they knew precisely where it happened, police tape remaining at the scene indicated it was halfway up the block, between the Ivy Ridge Shopping Center and Penn Distributors.
And I quote (IV)…
Palmer Township police have charged a man in a Wednesday hit-and-run crash on Route 22 that left two women injured.
Henry Minor Morrisette, 25, of Powhatan, Va., is charged with careless driving, causing an accident involving injuries and damage to another vehicle, and duty to give information and render aid. Morrisette was sent to Northampton County Prison under $10,000 bail.
And I quote (V)…
UPPER DARBY — A 40-year-old pizza shop employee was charged Friday with the hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian in critical condition.
Juan Rodriquez-Mendoza, of the 200 block of Copley Road, allegedly was driving without a license when he struck the victim in the 7000 block of West Chester Pike around 10 p.m. Thursday. Rodriquez-Mendoza did not stop after striking the man, but left him, unconscious and bleeding, on the roadway, Police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said.
“There was blood coming from his head and mouth, and he was not breathing,” Chitwood said Friday afternoon. Several pieces of the striking vehicle were found at the scene, he added.
And I quote (VI)…
Tammi Beers Frias always thought she would have time to fully mend fences with her son.
By the time he was 18 in 2013, he had been out of her home for more than a year, had his GED and had a full-time job as a technician at America’s Tire in Beaverton. Their relationship was good and had improved, but still wasn’t what it used to be, she said.
Beers Frias thought she had time. Until she didn’t.
Her son died as she was getting to know him again.
“You think they’re just kids, and they can get moody and emotional, and one day they’ll come around,” said Beers Frias, 44, of Aloha. “But we won’t get that chance. There’s just a huge gaping hole left in your heart when something like that happens.”
Beers Frias’ son, Harley Rocher, was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Beaverton in January 2013. More than a year later, Beers Frias and police still have no leads on the driver responsible.
An arrest won’t bring her son back, but it will allow police to release his belongings, she said.
And I quote (VII)…
The impact cracked Alexandria Adams’ teeth, caused her head to swell, and injured her back and knee.
Badly bloodied, the 17-year-old needed help, but the driver of the car that hit her in September stopped only briefly before he drove away from the Bluffton intersection.
The cuts and scrapes Adams suffered in the Sept. 25 hit-and-run have healed, but she says she’ll always remember how she felt afterward.
“It made me feel like I was just garbage,” she says. “You don’t feel like you matter in the world.”
Statistics suggest similar accidents are on the rise in some areas of Beaufort County. Overall, there were 28 hit-and-run accidents resulting in injury or death in 2013, up from 20 in 2012 and 15 in 2011, according to reports from the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office, S.C. Highway Patrol, and police departments in Bluffton, Beaufort and Port Royal.
And I quote (VIII)…
Questions still surround a March 1 hit-and-run that left a 30-year-old man in critical condition. And as that man, Anthony Jafari, remains unconscious at Memorial Hospital, Jennifer Jafari and her family are offering a $10,000 reward for help finding the culprit.
And I quote (IX)…
Hit-and-run suspect Thomas Letteer Jr. is expected to plead guilty Monday on charges related to the death of a 5-year-old boy in December 2012, according to next week’s Luzerne County Court schedule.
Luzerne County Judge Joseph Sklarosky Jr.’s schedule for next week indicates Letteer is scheduled for a “guilty plea” hearing for 1:30 p.m.
Letteer faces a charge of fleeing the scene of a fatal crash, a crime that carries a mandatory minimum sentence of one year in prison.
Wilkes-Barre police charged Letteer last April on allegations he fatally struck 5-year-old Kevin Miller on North Street in Wilkes-Barre and then fled the scene. Miller was crossing the street with his parents and brothers after leaving a Christmas party on Dec. 21, 2012.
Caught, convicted, court appearance or car-on-car in … Ambridge, Mass.; Bangor, Maine; Santa Maria, Cal.; Lacey, Wash.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Stockton, Cal.; Dearborn Heights, Mich.
More hit-and-run stories, including every volume of Hit-and-Run America (in reverse order), are accessible from this linked page. (The full Volume-by-Volume list will appear sporadically from now on.)