Prince George’s County police are asking for the public’s help finding a driver they say hit a man in Lanham, Maryland, over the weekend who kept driving for 2 miles with the man’s body “lodged” in the car’s windshield.
Police are also asking auto body shops to be on the lookout for any vehicles with damage consistent with the crash.
PHOTOS: We are asking for the community’s assistance in locating the driver and car involved in a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run in Lanham. The victim is 28-year-old Franklin Membreno Mendez of New Carrollton.https://t.co/2D7jGeax6n pic.twitter.com/gznCbVgaaE
— PGPDNEWS (@PGPDNews) October 23, 2023
Police found the body of 28-year-old Franklin Membreno Mendez of New Carrollton, on the side of Ardwick Ardmore Road shortly after 4 a.m. Saturday.
Mendez had been involved in an unrelated, minor crash about approximately 2 miles away in the 8900 block of Annapolis Road, according to police.
“What we know happened is that at that minor collision, (Mendez) exited his vehicle to assess the damage, and then he was struck by a separate vehicle,” Prince George’s County police public information officer Emily Austin told WTOP. “He became lodged in the windshield of that vehicle, and that’s when the driver drove that approximate 2 miles to Ardwick Ardmore Road and left his body there.”
The car involved in the hit-and-run is believed to be a 2011-2017 gray Honda Civic with a large white decal across the top of the back window. There should be damage to the passenger side, front bumper, fender and windshield of the vehicle, according to Austin.
Austin urged any community members who see a car fitting this description to contact police, and she put out a special request for assistance to auto body and auto glass repair shops:
“If you’re seeing a vehicle matching this description, with this type of damage, we strongly urge you to contact us,” she said. “It’s very important for us to be able to locate the vehicle and the driver that was involved in this incident.”
Austin said the “extremely disturbing circumstances” of this hit-and-run mean that no detail is too small to share with the department.
“We empathize with this person’s family and knowing the details of what their loved one went through, and so that’s why it’s so important to us to have the community’s assistance in locating this driver and the vehicle so that we can try to bring some closure and understanding to how, perhaps why this occurred,” she said.
Individuals who might have information but wish to remain anonymous may call Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477), go online at www.pgcrimesolvers.com or use the “P3 Tips” mobile app. Those who report tips are asked to refer to case number PP23102100000463.
WTOP’s Dick Uliano contributed to this report.
