Ann Arbor Police Identify Suspect in June Hit-and-Run Near U-M Campus, Await Prosecutor's Decision

A month after a pedestrian was struck at East Huron Street and North Thayer Street and the driver fled, Ann Arbor police say they have identified a suspect and sent the case to the Washtenaw County Prosecutor's Office for a charging decision. The suspect's name is being withheld while that review is pending.

The decision now before prosecutors will determine whether the June 16 crash at a busy campus-edge crossing leads to criminal charges, as pedestrians, students and commuters continue to use the intersection where the driver left an injured man behind.

At about 12:45 p.m. June 16, a white Chevrolet Traverse struck a 22-year-old man as he walked in a marked crosswalk with flashing lights. The driver did not stop. Instead, the SUV fled by going the wrong way on a one-way street. The pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries, was hospitalized and was expected to make a full recovery.

Dash-cam video that circulated widely on social media showed the impact knocking the pedestrian out of his shoes.

Police searched the area after the crash but did not find the vehicle. Investigators believed they were looking for a white Chevrolet Traverse with likely front-end damage and a temporary license plate bearing an Aug. 14, 2026, expiration date. That temporary plate complicated the search — plates issued through the Michigan Secretary of State's office cannot be easily searched, limiting investigators' ability to identify an owner from the plate visible in the video. Police instead relied on the viral footage and public tips to find the vehicle.

The case is now before Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit. Under Michigan law, leaving the scene of a crash involving an injured pedestrian is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000 and driver's license suspension. If the pedestrian suffers a serious impairment of a body function, the charge can become a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000. A hit-and-run resulting in death can bring up to 15 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. A conviction for leaving the scene of an accident resulting in serious injury or death adds six points to a driver's record.

The June crash occurred along a corridor where pedestrians have repeatedly been hurt. On May 5, 2025, a 79-year-old man using a wheelchair was struck and killed by an SUV while crossing East Huron Street near North Fourth Avenue; the driver initially left the scene but later turned herself in. A pedestrian crash also occurred at North University and Thayer on Jan. 8, 2025. On June 20, 2025, a pedestrian suffered a serious injury in a crash at Huron and North Main.

Safety work is planned, but much of it remains ahead. Major pedestrian upgrades on the East Huron Street/Washtenaw Avenue corridor are scheduled for construction in 2027, following a 2026 design phase. The project is expected to include ADA-compliant sidewalk ramps, a pedestrian hybrid beacon near 2350 Washtenaw Ave. and leading pedestrian intervals at signalized intersections. The city has already installed leading pedestrian intervals at East Huron's intersections with North Fourth Avenue and Division, giving people on foot a head start before turning traffic moves. A $1.3 million traffic-signal project approved in late 2025 includes countdown pedestrian signals and accessible pedestrian systems citywide, which may benefit Huron Street intersections.

Anyone with information about the crash or the suspect vehicle can contact the Ann Arbor Police Department at 734-794-6920, email [email protected] or submit an anonymous tip through Silent Witness.