Man killed in Harvey hit-and-run crash; driver sought by police

HARVEY, Ill. (WLS) -- Police are searching for the driver who struck and killed a 58-year-old man in a hit-and-run in south suburban Harvey Wednesday morning, police said.

Police said a man was struck and killed at about 3 a.m. near the intersection of Calumet Boulevard and Halsted Street. Harvey police and the Cook County Sheriff's Department blocked off the area to investigate.

Ted Dufour, a repo specialist, said he was the first person on scene and called 911 after he found the victim lying in the roadway.

"It was horrible," he said. "I have never in my life seen anything that bad. It looked like he was walking across the street and a car hit him going very fast."

The driver took off and the impact of the crash sent the victim's shoes and hat in the air.

"Took his pants off and his shoes, that is how hard he was hit," Dufour said. "He looked like he was just getting dressed to maybe go to work. He had on gym shoes and nice jeans and a pullover. It looked like he was getting ready to start his day."

Just moments after the crash, Dufour said he spotted a car with heavy front end damage leaving the scene and wrote down the plate number.

"I had seen a 2015 Chevy Cruze, kind of gray-colored with three occupants, a female driver," he said. "You could hear something, like a flat tire, the bottom of the car was rubbing on the ground, and immediately I looked to get the license plate and I tried to go after the car, but she ducked down a side street somewhere and I wasn't able to see where she went."

Harvey Police Chief Eddie Winters said his detectives are working with the Cook County Sheriff's Department to track down the driver, confident they will find the person responsible.

"Come forward and explain what happened," Chief Winters said. "This road is dark at night and there are dark spots and we want closure for the investigation as well as the family."

Authorities have not released the identity of the man who was killed, pending family notification.

Harvey police are asking anyone who may have information about the hit-and-run driver to contact them.