Police officer hospitalized after hit-and-run on Park Ave. in Hershey

Update: James Magaha, 34, is facing felony charges of attempted criminal homicide and accidents involving death or personal injury of an officer following a hit-and-run on Oct. 6 when a pedestrian was run over and dragged near Hersheypark.

Penn State Harrisburg police lieutenant Juan Castro, Jr. was seriously injured in a hit-and-run crash earlier this month where police say he was “intentionally” run over.

By: Chloe Keith

Hershey, Pennsylvania — One person was taken to the hospital after being struck by a vehicle in Hershey on Sunday night.

It happened at the intersection of Park Avenue and North Third Street. According to dispatch, the vehicle left the scene after hitting the pedestrian.

The condition of the pedestrian is currently unknown.

Derry Township Police said the incident happened around 9:40 p.m. on the 400 block of Park Avenue/State Route 743. The area is right next to Hersheypark.

“The incident stems from a “Road Rage” type of incident and when the victim got out of their vehicle, the driver of the suspect vehicle intentionally steered towards and ran the victim over and then fled the scene,” police said in a statement. 

The victim was dragged and ended up being thrown from the driver’s side of the vehicle as the suspect vehicle fled, police said. 

When officers arrived, they found the victim lying along the edge of the road, having suffered “severe injuries.” Police have not released that person’s name.

Suspect vehicle description

• MAKE AND MODEL | Late model Toyota Sequoia
• COLOR | Silver or light gray
• DAMAGE | The vehicle should have front-end damage, especially the grill. It may also have driver’s side damage where the victim was dragged.
• LAST SEEN | The vehicle sped away, even crossing into the oncoming lane of Park Avenue. It was last seen heading south on Park Avenue before turning left onto Chocolate Avenue/Route 422, heading east.