Police are searching for the Prius involved in a fatal hit-and-run on Roosevelt Boulevard

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Police are now searching for a 2010 to 2015 Toyota Prius they believe killed a man in a hit-and-run on Roosevelt Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia early Monday morning.

Investigators believe the attack vehicle was a Toyota Prius based on car parts left at the crime scene.

The impact was so strong that it knocked the victim out of his shoe. It happened just after midnight in the northbound lanes of the boulevard near Purbeck Street.

Police believe a 42-year-old man was walking in the crosswalk when he was struck. He died at the scene. Police have not yet released the name of the 42-year-old man.

“This is ridiculous. We should not live in a society like this. This is wrong,” Seneca Arocho said.

Arocho said he has lived in Northeast Philadelphia for a long time and has seen a lot of accidents.

According to the Philadelphia Police Department, there have been 1,441 crashes on Roosevelt Avenue so far this year.

Ten of them were fatal.

“I’ve lived here my whole life. It’s a shame. It has to stop. People will continue to get hurt,” Arocho said.

There are 40 speed cameras like this one below in 10 different locations, and there’s evidence they’re saving lives.

From 2020 to 2022, fatal accidents on the street decreased by 44%, the city says. However, residents say this is still not enough.

“Unless they have a speed bump every five feet, people are going to use this as a highway, and that’s what they’re doing,” Annette Gittleman said.

The avenue is considered one of the most dangerous roads not only in the city but in the country. there Efforts are underway to make the road saferincluding a $78 million payment from the federal government.

The funding is part of President Joe Biden’s funding Bipartisan Infrastructure Act Which passed in 2021.

With these funds, the city will build new median barriers, realign crosswalks, update traffic signals, and create new bus crossing lanes.

The city wants to reduce traffic deaths on the boulevard to zero by 2030.

But do residents believe they will be able to reach this goal?

Arocho thinks it could happen.

“It’s a possibility. I mean I don’t know how, but I hope we have some good city planners who know what’s going on,” he said.

The city is working on a long-term plan with PennDOT and other agencies to transform Roosevelt Street by 2040.

If you have any information about the identity of the driver involved in the hit-and-run, police urge you to contact them.