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Updated: Identity confirmed of victim of Deptford hit and run incident last Friday, police still looking for witnesses

Man arrested in connection with incident in Deptford, but police appeal for witnesses to come forward

The identity of the cyclist who died following last Friday's hit-and-run incident in Deptford, South East London, last Friday has been confirmed as 17-year-old Olatunji Adeyanju. Known to his friends as TJ, Olatunji had been deputy head boy at Addey and Stanhope School in New Cross before going on to pursue a BTEC in business studies at Croydon College.

The website Your Local Guardian reported that flowers and other tributes had been left at the site where Olatunji, whose parents live in Nigeria, was struck by a silver Audi car on a pedestrian crossing at the junction of Deptford Church Street and Bronze Street at 1700 hours on Friday evening.

One read: "I honestly don't understand this. Still. You were a humble, wise person and you were the glue of our form and of our year.

"You were the voice of reason and the cheeky smile and the one was friends with all and enemies with none.

"The world needs people like you TJ, but the good die young."

Immediately following Friday's incident, Olatunji was taken to the Royal London Hospital by air ambulance, but was pronounced dead at 2020 hours on the same evening.

The driver of the car, which according to unconfirmed rumours circulating locally had been stolen, did not stop at the scene immediately, but turned around at nearby traffic lights and stopped opposite the site of the incident, before driving off.

The car was later found abandoned nearby in Watergate Street.

Police confirmed that the arrested a 27-year-old man on Saturday afternoon on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failure to stop. They added that he had been bailed to a date in May.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has other information that may be of assistance to the police is asked to contact the Road Death Investigation Unit at Catford Traffic Garage on 020 8285 1574, or the charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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