A man was killed while crossing a Hawaii island highway Friday night and police are searching for the drivers of multiple vehicles that struck him and left the area.
At 10:50 p.m., the Hawaii Police Department said officers responded to a report of a person lying in the Keaau road and found an unidentified male pedestrian who was struck multiple times by unknown vehicles. The vehicles fled in an unknown direction, police said in a news release today.
The victim was unresponsive and pronounced dead at 11:03 p.m.
He may have been attempting to cross Highway 130 and was not in a marked crosswalk when he was hit, police said.
His identity was withheld pending positive identification and notification of next of kin. Police have ordered an autopsy be conducted to determine the exact cause of death.
Failure to render aid when a person is injured or killed in a traffic collision is a Class B felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison and fines of up to $25,000 under Hawaii law, police said.
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The department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit has opened a negligent homicide investigation and asks anyone who witnessed the collision to contact Officer Johnathan Rapoza at (808) 961-2339 or at [email protected]. Tipsters who prefer to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (808) 961-8300.
This was Hawaii island’s 12th traffic fatality in 2026, compared with 12 at the same time last year, according to police. It was also the third Big Island traffic fatality within a 12-hour period on Friday.
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