Man wanted in Philadelphia hit-and-run at Penn Presbyterian that injured 3 nurses, shooting victim
Philadelphia police identified a suspect on Tuesday wanted in a hit-and-run that injured three Penn Presbyterian Medical Center nurses and a shooting victim over the weekend.
Police said they're searching for 20-year-old Jaadir Goodwyn in connection with the crash. The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office has approved multiple charges for Goodwyn, including multiple counts of aggravated assault, possession of an instrument of crime, fleeing police, careless driving and other related offenses.
Philadelphia Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel said Goodwyn should be considered armed and dangerous.
"When I woke up Saturday morning, I couldn't believe what I saw," Bethel said.
"The fact that somebody had the audacity to run over three nurses and severely injure them, they had been on the frontlines with us since the day I walked in the police department 38 years ago," an emotional Bethel added. "Nurses have been at the frontline of supporting us and supporting this community -- they take an oath to serve. They take an oath to serve. When you watch the video that I watched today, it is shocking to see the disregard for their lives by these individuals. So the mayor's absolutely right. We're going to be relentless in our efforts to stop this behavior."
Bethel said it's unlikely that a video of the hit-and-run will be released.
The hit-and-run happened just before 4:30 a.m. on Saturday in the ambulance bay area of Penn Presbyterian. It left one of the three nurses in critical condition, and the shooting victim suffered an additional head injury.
Frank Vanore, the Deputy Commissioner of Investigations at the Philadelphia Police Department, said the 28-year-old shooting victim was struck by gunfire in the 1300 block of Belmont Avenue, which is just north of Penn Presbyterian in West Philly's Parkside neighborhood.
After the shooting, the 28-year-old man who was shot multiple times throughout his body, was driven to Penn Presby in a 2023 silver Jeep Cherokee with Goodwyn and two other males. Police haven't identified the two other people who were inside the Jeep.
Vanore said Goodwyn and the two other males went into Penn Presbyterian's emergency room and begged for them to help the 28-year-old suffering from gunshot wounds throughout his body.
Three nurses and security staff then sprinted out of the hospital and began providing aid to the 28-year-old, according to Vanore.
Vanore said police believe after Penn Police were alerted about a shooting victim at the ER, the three males, including Goodwyn, jumped back into the Jeep and "recklessly and intentionally" left at a high rate of speed and struck the three nurses and the 28-year-old shooting victim.
"This is totally and completely unacceptable to me and to all of us in the city of Philadelphia," Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker said.
A 36-year-old nurse suffered facial injuries and internal bleeding. He was placed in critical condition. The two other nurses -- a 51-year-old man and a 37-year-old man -- were each placed in stable condition, according to police.
The 28-year-old man who was shot suffered an additional head injury as a result of the hit-and-run, police said. He was placed in critical condition.
Vanore said their investigation led them to recover the Jeep in Upper Darby, Delaware County, and found evidence for them to develop enough probable cause to get an arrest warrant for Goodwyn.
Philadelphia police, Penn police, the FBI and the DA's office have all been involved in the investigation.
"Let me be very clear, we are going to end this culture of lawlessness that has been plaguing our city and it won't stand," Parker said.
Penn Presby incident latest in series of hit-and-runs in 2024
The hit-and-run at Penn Presbyterian last weekend was the latest in a series of hit-and-run crashes in 2024 that have happened in different locations across the city, including Rittenhouse Square, West Philly, Nicetown and other neighborhoods.
During the briefing, Parker mentioned there might be some people who mention that homicides and other crimes are currently down in 2024 -- as of Tuesday night homicides are down 50% from 2023 -- but that won't stop the city from keeping their foot on the pedal.
"We will continue to do everything that we possibly can using everything tool in the toolbox to make the health and safety of our city the number one priority," Parker said.
In July, a suspected drunk driver fatally struck a doctor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia in Rittenhouse Square as she was riding in a designated bike lane on Spruce Street near 18th Street. Michael Vahey, a 68-year-old, has since been charged in the death of CHOP doctor Barbara Friedes.
Months after an outcry from the community, the city has recommended protected bike lanes to be built in Center City.
Earlier Tuesday morning, a woman was fatally struck by a driver in Fairmount Park. And last week, a man accused of hitting and killing a 14-year-old girl walking with her mother in West Philly was arrested.
So far in 2024, there have been 473 hit-and-runs in Philly, according to police. Twenty-six of those have been fatal, including the one in Fairmount Park early Tuesday morning.
That number is slightly down compared to last year. In 2023 on Oct. 15, there were 588 hit-and-runs, including 36 that were fatal.
Penn community healing, asking for prayers
Parker said she first learned of the hit-and-run after receiving a phone call from Kevin B. Mahoney, the CEO of Penn Medicine, at about 7 a.m. on Saturday.
Mahoney said Parker didn't hesitate to offer every resource Penn needed after the tragedy.
"It's so critical to me that we stay together," Mahoney said. "The energy that we've had over the last 72 hours as a city to find the bad guys, the energy that we've had to support each other, I'm so proud of my 48,000 employees who will do anything for anybody at any given time."
"This trauma is going to be with them for a long time," he added. "Keep everybody in your prayers."
As a result of the incident, Penn is changing its protocols when patients arrive in the emergency room area by car.
Penn will no longer provide aid to a patient from the car without the vehicle being off, the driver stepping away from the wheel and security being present.
"This is for every healthcare worker at Penn Presbyterian and for every healthcare worker in the city, I see you and I hear you, and we know what valuable services you provide to us on a daily basis," Parker said. "It is our job to ensure that you are protected and safe while you do your job and we are going to make sure that we do that."