2 children under 5, 43-year-old man injured in West Philadelphia hit-and-run: police
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Two young girls and a 43-year-old man are in the hospital this holiday weekend, all victims of a hit-and-run in West Philadelphia. The driver remains on the move.
Police released new surveillance video Friday night of the accused driver, seen walking near the intersection of 53rd and Race Streets. They believe he was behind the wheel of a red pick-up truck that struck a 5-year-old girl, a 3-year-old girl and the man.
The young girls are being treated at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia as police try to find the driver who hit them and another man.
Philadelphia police shared new surveillance video and photos on social media in hopes of a tip to that will lead them to this man wanted for a hit-and-run Friday afternoon in West Philly. They say he injured two young girls and a man as they crossed the street at the intersection of 56th and Vine Streets just before 12 p.m.
"Philadelphia is crazy. It's traumatizing, you know," a man said. "That could have been anyone kids."
Police say a 5-year-old girl is in critical condition and a 3-year-old is in stable condition at CHOP.
A 43-year-old man is also recovering at Presbyterian Hospital with a head and hip injury.
Multiple witnesses didn't want to show their faces but told Eyewitness News the wild chain of events started when the truck pulled into the parking lot of AutoZone. Then, they saw the driver get out.
Meanwhile, the passenger in the truck slipped behind the wheel.
"He was intoxicated. He jumped in the driver's seat of the truck and jumped over that concrete barrier. He turned," one witness said. "He was skidding out of the parking lot. Everybody told him to slow down, slow down."
Witnesses say the driver first hit a parked SUV, then plowed into three people down the road.
"Seen one of the little kids fly up in the air in the stroller," said one witness Eyewitness News spoke with. "And he kept going and one of the guys chased him."
A witness says the "baby, she was just crying. I don't know if her leg was broke or whatever, but she was just crying it was another baby on the ground with blood pouring out her mouth."
One man, who did not want to show his face on camera, says he tried to catch up to the driver who took off after striking the victims.
"I tried to chase the truck down," the man said, "but he was long gone by the time I came back to get my van."
Investigators soon found a red pick-up truck, believed to be involved, abandoned on 53rd and Race Streets about six blocks away.
In the video you can see the driver, last seen in the truck, casually walk away.
Witnesses hope the man does the right thing.
"What you do in the dark come to light," a witness said, "so his conscience may get to him and he may turn himself in."
The driver was last seen wearing a white shirt with dark lettering and tan pants. Police say he is in his 50s.
Police haven't said what the relationship is between the man and the two girls. Witnesses say there was actually a third child who was with the group when the hit-and-run happened, but was not injured.