PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A tragic crash happened in Northeast Philadelphia. An off-duty Philadelphia police officer going home from work was killed in a violent crash Thursday night.
Officers described the scene as a t-bone accident with tragic results. They say a BMW was heading south on Bustleton Avenue when it collided with the passenger side of a Hyundai sedan.
The crash ultimately killed the driver of that Hyundai.
Officers responded to this two car crash just before midnight on Thursday.
When they got to the scene, they found a 50-year-old man unconscious in his Hyundai sedan.
They say his car was hit on the passenger side by a BMW driven by an 18-year-old, who also had a 16 and a 17 year-old in the car at the time.
Right after the two cars collided, police say the BMW jumped the curb and hit a tree.
Incredibly, none of the three teens in that BMW suffered any injuries in this crash.
However, the 50 year-old in the Hyundai was rushed to Jefferson Torresdale Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after.
We later learned that the 50 year-old victim is a Philadelphia police officer with nearly three decades of service.
“We know that this off-duty police officer, who had just got done work, is 50 years of age and he has 27 years with the police department, so this is a real tragedy,” Chief Inspector Scott Small said. “He was driving home from work and he was just a few blocks from his home when this accident occurred.”
Witnesses told police the BMW was traveling at a very high rate of speed before the crash.
Police aren’t sure if the 18 year-old driver ran a red light, but based on the damage to both vehicles, they also believe the car may have been speeding.
Police say the 18 year-old driver did not appear to be impaired, so they were released and are not facing any charges right now.
But that could change depending on what the investigation finds.