2 Philadelphia sanitation workers struck by vehicle while picketing during DC 33 strike, police say
Two sanitation workers who were on the picket line in the AFSCME District Council 33 union strike were hit by a vehicle in Philadelphia's Port Richmond section late night on July 3
By Matt Cavallo, Brandon Goldner
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PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (KYW) — Two sanitation workers who were on the picket line in the AFSCME District Council 33 union strike were hit by a vehicle in Philadelphia’s Port Richmond section late Thursday night, police said. A driver is already in custody and charged with hit-and-run and driving under the influence.
Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the crash happened just before 11:30 p.m. on the 3900 block of North Delaware Avenue.
When police arrived on scene they found a 36-year-old male as well as a 30-year-old female who were struck by a vehicle. Both victims were immediately rushed to Jefferson-Torresdale Hospital. The male is described to be in very critical condition and was taken to have surgery, while the female is being evaluated for bumps and bruises and is expected to be OK.
He says preliminary information indicates the victims were sitting in in chairs in front of the sanitation yard when a black Chevrolet SUV jumped the curb and struck them.
The vehicle then fled north on Delaware Avenue, turned around and then went back south. Police located the vehicle within minutes on the 3000 block of Castor Avenue and took the driver and the passenger in the vehicle into custody.
“Inside the vehicle, we found some containers of alcohol, some sealed and some were open,” Small said. “So, 24th District police did a great job stopping this vehicle within minutes.”
Several sanitation workers who were also on scene and witnessed the incident are being interviewed by police. Small said while the person was intoxicated, it is still unclear if the crash was intentional. He also said there are reports that the female worker struck was pregnant.
Small said it took officers time to process what was ultimately a large crime scene.
“They’re going to take measurements and look for any marks on the street where the vehicles jumped the curb, got back on the curb,” he added. “It was a pretty involved crime scene, but it’s going to be thoroughly investigated.”
We’ve reached out to DC 33 and Mayor Cherelle Parker’s administration for responses.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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