Philadelphia Police Announce New Cash Reward For Holmesburg Hit-And-Run Information
By David Spunt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Four months after her death, Philadelphia Police officials announced Mayor Michael Nutter's Office will pay $10,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the driver who hit and killed Theresa Pozzi.
Pozzi, 33, was on her way to visit a friend on State Road on December 23, when detectives say a person driving a pickup truck hit and killed her. The driver left the scene.
"They (the driver) have destroyed my whole family," Theresa's mother Anna told Eyewitness News.
For months, Anna Pozzi relentlessly pushed for answers, with no luck. That luck changed Wednesday night when she happened to bump into Mayor Nutter by coincidence at a community event.
"You will be hearing from me. That's what he said," Pozzi told Eyewitness News.
Not even 24 hours later, the phone rang and the official reward was announced.
"The hope and the idea are to present a $10,000 reward opportunity for somebody that possibly has some information," said Philadelphia Police Lieutenant John Stanford.
The reward comes just a week after police announced two $20,000 rewards for separate fatal hit-and-runs that killed two-year-old David Alecia and four-year-old Latiff Wilson.
Eyewitness News pulled records and found out that the reward program started in 2012. The first reward was issued in 2013. Since then, the city has paid $373,000 to 27 people.
"We want as many tools in the toolbox for solving crimes that we could possibly have and this is one," Nutter spokesman Mark McDonald told Eyewitness News.
McDonald said the reward money will be issued only if information leads to an arrest and conviction of an individual. Anna Pozzi insists the $10,000 reward her daughter's name can only help.
"I do believe money talks, it just has to reach the right person's hands and eventually it will," she said.
Police are still looking for the drivers in all three cases mentioned above. If you have any information, call Philadelphia Police.