Denver7 is going in-depth on hit-and-run crashes around the metro area today and you can watch our coverage of this important issue tonight on Denver7 or our streaming channels.
Colorado's yearly traffic fatalities are on the rise and among the most careless types of incidents are hit-and-run crashes, where a driver leaves an injured — sometimes fatally — person behind at the scene.
Throughout the year, police departments and sheriff's offices around the state ask for the public's help solving these crimes, which includes offering cash rewards through Crime Stoppers.
READ MORE: Pedestrian advocates say street design plays a role in crashes
In Colorado, a hit-and-run crash that causes non-serious injuries is punishable by 10 days to a year in jail and/or a fine of $300 up to $1,000. If the person is seriously injured, the driver faces a Class 4 felony punishable by two to six years in prison and/or a fine up to $500,000. If the person is killed in the crash, the driver faces a Class 3 felony with four to 12 years in prison and/or a fine up to $750,000.
It is against the law to leave the scene of any crash, even if nobody is injured. If you witness a hit-and-run, either use your phone or try to memorize as much as you can about the suspect vehicle or the driver (and if you're driving, pull over to write it down). Then call 911. Authorities urge witnesses not to pursue a fleeing suspect and instead tend to anybody who was injured.
In 2022, Denver had 54 hit-and-run crashes that led to serious injuries and 17 that were fatal.
The entries below detail 2023 hit-and-run crashes around the Denver metro area where at least one person was injured or killed. This list does not include crashes of solely property damage.
To see all of the Colorado Department of Transportation's crash data, click here.
Denver7 used police departments' and sheriff's offices' social media and press releases, along with our own reporting, to collect the list below. Reach out to newstips@denver7.com if you know of an injury hit-and-run crash in the Denver metro area from January 2023 to include here.
Denver
Jan. 7 | 18th Street and Wazee Street
Denver officers investigated a hit-and-run crash involving a motorist and four pedestrians around 11:40 p.m. Four people were transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The driver fled the scene. Police are investigating this crash as an assault.
During the investigation, police identified the suspect as Orlando Martinez, Jr., 22. Police said he allegedly struck the pedestrians "intentionally following a verbal altercation." He faces four counts of investigation of attempted murder, two counts of first-degree assault causing serious bodily injury and two counts of second-degree assault.
Jan. 12 | California Street and 22nd Street
Around 1:40 p.m. on Jan. 12, the driver of a dark-colored Chevrolet Camaro was traveling westbound on California Street and struck a pedestrian who was crossing at 22nd Street. The pedestrian was seriously injured.
The car has silver rims and may have minor damage to the front passenger side. Click here for more.
Jan. 13 | E. Colfax Avenue and N. Grant Street
Denver police are searching for a driver and vehicle involved in a serious hit-and-run crash on Jan. 13 around 1:18 a.m. Police said the driver was headed west on Colfax just east of Grant Street and struck a pedestrian in the roadway. The driver fled the scene.
The suspect vehicle may have minor damage to the passenger side of the vehicle. It is described as a small, dark SUV, similar to an Acura RDX.
Jan. 21 | Interstate 25 near exit for Park Avenue West
On Jan. 21 around 2:09 a.m., the driver of a black Nissan sedan was traveling northbound on I-25 and struck a silver truck traveling in the same direction, police said. The truck collided with the center barrier wall and the driver was seriously injured.
The driver of the black Nissan fled from the scene.
Jan. 25 | Franklin Street and E. Colfax Avenue
A Medina Alert was issued for a white 2011 Chevy Cruz with temporary plate 443-8404 that was involved in a hit-and-run crash north of Cheesman Park around 6:30 p.m. The victim was seriously injured.
Aurora
Jan. 24 | E. Colfax Avenue and Moline Street
Around 7:35 p.m. on Jan. 24, a driver crashed into a bus stop at Colfax and Moline, striking two people who were waiting for the bus. The driver then ran from the scene and has not been located.
The two victims were pinned between the vehicle and the bus stop shelter, according to Aurora Fire Rescue.
One of them was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The other person did not require medical treatment.
Aurora police announced the suspect had been arrested on Feb. 2. He was identified as Jerry Lee Mahan, Jr.
Jan. 26 | Peoria Street and E. 19th Avenue
The driver of a large SUV hit an older man at E. 19th Avenue and Peoria Street just before 7 a.m. on Jan. 26, Aurora police said.
When officers arrived at the scene, they found a man lying in the roadway with life-threatening injuries.
He was declared deceased around 9 a.m. The suspect vehicle was found nearby but the driver had left the scene.
Based on the initial investigation, Aurora police believe that the driver of the SUV was headed southbound on Peoria Street as the pedestrian was crossing at the E. 19th Avenue intersection. The driver then struck the man and fled, police said.
On the afternoon of Jan. 26, police said they had arrested Daniel Saenz-Moreno, 27, of Dillon in connection with the crash.
Jan. 28 | S. Chambers Road and E. Tennessee Avenue
Aurora police responded to a hit-and-run crash around 12:47 p.m. at the intersection, and found the driver and passenger in a Toyota Camry with injuries. They were both transported to a hospital.
The passenger, a 70-year-old man, had life-threatening injuries and died on Feb. 3.
The initial investigation found that the driver of the Camry had been traveling southbound on Chambers when the driver of a silver Toyota Corolla was leaving a driveway just south of E. Tennessee Avenue. That driver tried to turn left to go northbound on Chambers, but did not yield to oncoming traffic and caused a crash, police said.
The Corolla driver fled from the scene in the car. That person has not yet been identified.
The car is likely a 2014-2016 silver Toyota Corolla with significant damage to the driver's side of the car and airbags deployed. The license plate is unknown.
Englewood
Jan. 25 | S. Broadway and W. Floyd Avenue
A Medina Alert was issued on Jan. 25 after a suspect in a white 2011 Dodge Ram 1500 allegedly struck a pedestrian at S. Broadway and W. Floyd Avenue, according to Aurora police. The pedestrian's leg was injured in the crash.
Based on the investigation, the Englewood Police Department said the suspect driver was initially involved in a minor crash with another car, but when the drivers started to exchange information, the suspect fled from the scene, running over the victim in the process.
Authorities said they believe the car has damage to the front grill and windshield, and does not have license plates. It had a blue tarp or black tonneau cover on the truck bed. Authorities also said they believe the pickup truck was stolen out of Adams County.
According to witnesses, a white man in his 30s with brown hair was driving the truck at the time.
Around 5 p.m. that day, the Medina Alert was canceled after police located the Dodge, but the driver remains at-large.
Westminster
Jan. 22 | Highway 36 and Federal Boulevard
Around 6:15 p.m. on Jan. 22, officers in Westminster responded to Highway 36 and Federal Boulevard after receiving a call about a pedestrian in the roadway. Shortly afterward, they received a call that a man was lying in the road and may have been hit by a car.
The man was transported to a hospital with serious injuries.
Police determined that the vehicle that hit the man was possibly a black 2016-2019 Chevy Silverado, with possible heavy right front-end damage.
On Jan. 23, police said thanks to a tip from the public, they had arrested the suspect, who was identified as Kenneth Wade Taylor, 39.
He faces the following charges:
- Failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury
- Failure to notify police of an accident
- Failure to provide proof of insurance
- Driving vehicle while under restraint
Thornton
Jan. 1 | Interstate 25 between E. 144th Avenue and Highway 7
A woman was struck and killed in a hit-and-run along I-25 after the rideshare vehicle she was in left her and her friends on the interstate shortly after midnight on New Year's Day, according to Thornton police.
A preliminary investigation into the deadly crash revealed the woman and a group of friends had been traveling in a rideshare vehicle after a party when she became ill. The driver pulled over along I-25 between E. 144th Avenue and Highway 7 before the passengers ended the ride.
Police said the woman then walked out into the roadway a short time later and was sideswiped by a dark truck that continued driving. Another car then struck the pedestrian while she was lying on the roadway, Thornton police said. That second driver stopped. The woman died of her injuries.
On Jan. 2, the driver of the dark truck came in to speak with investigators and was arrested for hit-and-run involving death, police said. He was identified as 33-year-old Adam Wooley, of Frederick. He was formally charged on Jan. 17.
Wooley told police there were no cars around him and thought “someone had thrown something at his truck,” arresting documents show.
Cherry Hills Village
None
Lakewood
None
Edgewater
None
Highlands Ranch
None
Greenwood Village
None
Northglenn
None
Commerce City
None
Glendale
None
Wheat Ridge
None
Broomfield
None
Arvada
None
Centennial
None
Littleton
None
