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Philly police identify hit-and-run victim as they search for the driver

Derrick Drayton, 63, of the 2700 block of North Hemberger Street in North Philadelphia, was killed Wednesday at 11:09 p.m. when he was struck by a Kia Optima in the 2300 block of West Hunting Park Avenue in Nicetown, police said.

Police say this is a picture of the Kia Optima believed to have struck and killed Derrick Drayton on West Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia last Wednesday.
Police say this is a picture of the Kia Optima believed to have struck and killed Derrick Drayton on West Hunting Park Avenue in North Philadelphia last Wednesday.Read morePhiladelphia Police Department

Philadelphia police are asking for the public’s help in finding a driver who fatally struck a pedestrian and kept going last week.

Derrick Drayton, 63, of the 2700 block of North Hemberger Street in North Philadelphia, was killed Wednesday at 11:09 p.m. when he was struck by a Kia Optima in the 2300 block of West Hunting Park Avenue in the city’s Nicetown section.

The vehicle was eastbound when it struck Drayton, police said. Believed to be a model from 2015 to 2020, the Kia had damage to the windshield on the passenger side, and possibly to the hood and fender area, police said.

There is no information on who was operating the vehicle. In Pennsylvania, a driver convicted of a hit-and-run death could be sentenced to up to three to six years in prison.

Police ask anyone with information about the vehicle to contact the department’s Accident Investigation Division at 215-685-3180 or call 911.