HARTFORD, Conn — A Hartford man is dead after a hit-and-run Thursday night, police said.
Hartford patrol officers got a report of a pedestrian hit by a vehicle around 11:40 p.m. in the area of Hamilton Street, just east of Hillside Avenue. On Friday, police identified the victim as 34-year-old city resident Omar Espinal.
After arriving at the scene, officers found Espinal, who was seriously injured. The vehicle that hit Espinal had driven off from the scene before police got there.
The Hartford Police Department’s accident reconstruction team is confident someone in a gray or silver Honda Accord was speeding when a man was hit and killed there. Police are encouraging anyone who knows anything about a certain 2008 to 2012 gray or silver Honda Accord with significant damage to contact Hartford police.
“It's going to have severe front-end damage. It’s going to be missing a bumper. I think a mirror on the driver’s side. We’re pretty confident that it’s probably still in the city," Lt. Aaron Boisvert said. “Speed was definitely a factor. Speed was described as very, very excessive.”
Neighbors told FOX61 that a massive pothole on Hamilton Street slowed traffic for months. But it has since been removed.
"For like three months they were banging on it and ruining their cars, so I guess it’s like a natural speed bump that slowed people down here but I guess that didn’t work yesterday," a building superintendent said.
Espinal was rushed to the Hartford Hospital emergency room and later pronounced dead from his injuries.
The Hartford Police Crime Scene Division is investigating. Police provided no description of the vehicle at this time.
Jennifer Glatz is a digital content producer at FOX61 News. She can be reached at jglatz@fox61.com.
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