Somerville suspect surrenders
Cops say hit-and-run driver, 64, critically injured man, 72
The driver in a Somerville hit-and-run crash that left a pedestrian critically injured has turned himself in after a nearly weeklong manhunt for the suspect, State Police said.
The 64-year-old Somerville man turned himself in to city police about noon Thursday and surrendered his white 2015 Ford Transit Connect.
The suspect has been summonsed to appear in Somerville District Court on a charge of leaving the scene of a crash that caused personal injury, State Police said.
For personal injury crashes that are not fatalities, police who don’t have a warrant can only arrest a suspect if the person is located in the vehicle a short time after the crash, State Police spokesman David Procopio said. Since the suspect in this case was identified more than three days after the accident, police could only summons him to court.
Names of people summonsed to face charges, as opposed to being arrested, are not released until the defendants appear in court.
The investigation into the crash remains ongoing, State Police said, and the man could face additional charges.
State Police asked for the public’s help in finding the driver, who is accused of fleeing the scene after hitting a pedestrian on McGrath Highway.
On Monday, troopers responded to the scene at 8:40 p.m. after State Police, Somerville and regional dispatchers all received calls reporting a pedestrian was down on the roadway and was injured.
Troopers determined that the victim had been struck by a vehicle while crossing McGrath Highway from east to west, State Police said. At the time he was hit, the pedestrian was coming from a nearby Stop & Shop and was carrying several bags of groceries, they said.
The vehicle did not stop after hitting the man and fled the scene on McGrath Highway towards Cambridge, State Police said.
The victim, a 72-year-old Somerville man, was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital with potentially life-threatening injuries, they said.
Troopers asked for the public’s help in finding a white 2014 to 2021 Ford Transit Connect, saying that things that would cause the vehicle to stand out among other Ford Transit Connect vans were the number of side windows and the large sunroof. The vans usually are outfitted as utility vehicles without side windows or a sunroof.
State Police released photos of the vehicle from the scene and nearby, saying it most likely had damage to the driver-side bumper, hood and/or fender and a damaged headlight.
Anyone who witnessed the crash should contact troopers at the Medford barracks at 781-396-0100.