Rider hits 100 year old man in Auckland

Police are looking for a runaway driver who they say hit and killed a 100-year-old man in Auckland’s popular pedestrian zone.

It happened around 7:00 am Sunday morning on Harrison 19th Street.

It is a busy intersection for cars and a very popular walking area for thousands of people daily with the Snow Park and Lake Merritt walkways right next door.

A citizen took a video shortly after it happened, and it shows the 100-year-old Asian’s body covered about 35 feet from where he was hit at a crosswalk.

Oakland police confirmed that the case is being investigated as a fatal hit and run and that the elderly man suffered a serious head injury.

Some people who were walking on Sunday morning were shocked when they saw the crime scene.

“I saw the body of a dead man,” said Robert Larios from Auckland.

The old man’s cane was still at the edge of the pedestrian crossing at the intersection, and Larios said it hurt him to think about how it happened and how fast the car must have been moving.

“The body was three times the length of a car, and there was some blood and car parts,” he said.

Oakland police said the runaway driver was in a white or brown Mini Cooper that sped away, but said Monday they could not provide more details or share videos or images.

Neighbors say constantly speeding at busy intersections and sometimes running red lights is a chronic problem.

Shannon Taylor said she always gets anxious when she walks her dog because the cars go very fast. She said she had to keep her head on the ball at all times.

“Especially late at night, people are almost hit, especially dog ​​walkers,” Taylor said.

She worries about herself and her dog Harland. And after so many close calls, perhaps it was just a matter of time before something so tragic finally happened.

“It’s scary. I’ve never seen an accident since I’ve lived here, but I’ve definitely seen people really fly through those lights,” she said.

The OPD is asking anyone with information to share it with the Traffic Investigation Unit.