14-year-old killed in West Philadelphia hit-and-run, neighbors say driving in the area is "out of hand"
Philadelphia Police have located a 2011 Mercedes-Benz E350 believed to have been used in the deadly hit-and-run of a 14-year-old girl in West Philadelphia.
Police said just after 9:30 p.m. on Thursday Sept. 26 Dawn Watson was hit by a driver traveling at a high rate of speed while crossing Haverford Avenue near 66th Street with her mother.
"They were coming back from the store apparently. They had some groceries in their hand, and they were trying to cross in the crosswalk here when the vehicle struck the little girl," said PPD Inspector Michael Gormley.
The mother was not injured. The driver did not stop. Gormley said there weren't any witnesses of the incident besides the 14-year-old's mother, who was distraught following the crash.
Surveillance video obtained by CBS News Philadelphia shows the moment the driver hit the young girl and kept driving.
By Friday afternoon, a memorial had grown for Watson near the intersection. Donna Williams placed a teddy bear and balloons against the light pole. She said she didn't know the family personally but wanted to do something.
"Just so her family could see someone cares. It's a small thing, but it means a lot," said Williams.
However, neighbors who spoke with CBS News Philadelphia on Friday said they have long had concerns about this intersection. They said that despite several schools, a library, and a playground in the area, they often see people speeding and swerving around each other.
"This traffic has been out of hand for a very long time. Everybody wants to catch that yellow light. They're going 40, 50, 60 miles an hour, constantly," said Yuri Ashford who lives around the corner from the hit-and-run site. "When the kids are trying to get home from school and these cars don't care. They just speeding past."
Some, like Saida who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years, have even had close calls themselves. She said she was almost hit less than 24 hours after Watson was killed.
"This morning, somebody almost ran up on the sidewalk to hit me. And I said to her 'Do you see we had a fatal hit and run last night?' She said 'Mind your business, you're not a traffic guard," said Saida.
Now, these neighbors are looking to police and the city to do something about this intersection.
"I appreciate the city putting up speed bumps in a lot of areas, but there's some more areas that should have them," said Ashford.
"It's going to happen again. I see near misses every day," said Saida. "It needs to be looked at."
No arrests have been made. Police are asking anyone with information to contact them.
