Readers of an online car magazine have turned detective, helping police identify the vehicle involved in a serious cyclist hit-and-run, from just a fragment of headlight glass.
A woman in Bellevue, in Washington state, USA, was hospitalised with life-threatening injuries after being thrown 100 feet in a collision with a car, and the police had little to identify the vehicle – and its driver – aside from the headlight cover.
However, online car magazine, Jalopnik, came to the rescue, shared the image of the fragment, which looked to be just larger than a man’s hand, and asked its readers to play detective and help catch the culprit.
London bike courier injured in hit & run turns to crowdfunding to pay rent
118th is open after earlier hit/run crash. Recognize this piece of headlight? Help us ID the suspect car!@BvueTrans pic.twitter.com/QDayfDYias
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) March 23, 2016
In an article Jalopnik writer, Jason Torchinsky, said: “Is there any group of people better at identifying cars from broken bits than Jalopnik readers? No. The answer is no.
“So, look carefully at that bit of clear plastic, and help catch the cowardly bastard who nearly killed someone and ran.
He added: “This is a tricky one, but I have faith”.
After a few attempts by members of the public, police have thanked one Jalopnik reader for proving Torchinsky right, having correctly identified the vehicle as a 2013-15 Honda Accord.
Thanks to a reader of @Jalopnik we have an ID on the suspect vehicle in today’s hit and run: 2013-2015 Honda Accord pic.twitter.com/1SfHPqyVQA
— Bellevue, WA Police (@BvuePD) March 24, 2016
Cyclist Andy Wright spotted the Jalopnik article, and shared it on Facebook.
He said: Although I love cycling stuff, I enjoy other sports too … but I have a guilty secret, I love reading about cars!
“A bunch of car nuts pooling their nerdy knowledge to solve a hit and run crime committed against a cyclist. I find it quite moving.
“It’s a good example of the reality that most people are good people trying to do the right thing.”
7 thoughts on “Motor magazine readers help police ID hit-and-run car”
As said proof that the (often
As said proof that the (often silent) majority of people are good, moral folk. As in all walks of life sadly our opinions tend to be coloured by the “loud” actions a the few idiots.
bikeandy61 wrote:
Change happens because of “loud “idiots” not the “(often silent)” majority
I can’t imagine the police in
I can’t imagine the police in the UK doing this. Here, they’d mutter something about the motorist’s “human right” not to be “hounded” (or identified) by social media, would shrug their shoulders then close the case citing a lack of evidence.
Richard D wrote:
On the other hand I think that the magazine in the article is tracking down the make/model of car, not a named individual, so it isn’t exactly ‘hounding’.
On the other other hand, (and very OT) has anyone read ‘The Circle’ by Dave Eggers about the future of social media, the interweb, and hounding…?
…and….? I assume the
…and….? I assume the Police then check body shops and Honda to see which local has ordered a new headlight and then check phone mast records to put the car near the scene at time and date?
Then they send Peter Falk around to ask questions. ..” there’s just one more thing that bothering me …”
bikeandy61 wrote:
I don’t mean anything bad by this, but my thought was that it shows how much enthusiasts for a specialised subject will leap at a chance to use their expert knowledge for something more satisfying than winning arguments with fellow obsessives on the internet. People like to put expert knowledge to use, for good or ill [for the latter, see all those computer virus writers and their ilk].
Also – how come they’ve never done this on CSI? There they’d just run it through some preposterously specialised computer database they just happened to already have, complete with an implausibly flash user-interface.
Edit – well done to all concerned, of course.
This reminds me of the
This reminds me of the Bernard Righton joke: “An Englishman an Irishman and a Pakistani walk into a bar… What a great example of racial integration”