Background: Surveillance camera image released by police of the car that allegedly struck and killed Dorothea Cathell on Sept. 26 (Philadelphia Police Department). Inset: Michael Harper (Philadelphia Police Department).
A Pennsylvania man turned himself in to police days after he was named the suspect in a fatal hit-and-run incident that left a beloved grandmother dead.
Philadelphia police told local ABC affiliate WPVI that 47-year-old Michael Harper turned himself in to police on Monday, days after he allegedly drove his black Infiniti Q50 into 77-year-old Dorothea Cathell. Cathell was pushing a shopping cart through an intersection when she was allegedly struck by Harper”s car, leaving the car with a shattered windshield and a dented hood.
Cathell was rushed to a nearby hospital and died of her injuries.
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According to local NBC affiliate WCAU, Cathell had been on her way home from a ShopRite run with the shopping cart she normally used for such trips. Cathell’s family members told WCAU that on Friday evening, the cart was filled with Halloween decorations. That crushed cart now sits at a roadside memorial for Cathell.
WCAU reported that after Harper allegedly collided with Cathell, he reversed his vehicle before heading in another direction. Police said Harper dropped off a female passenger at a pizza place after the crash.
Police released a photo of the damaged car, which they found at an auto shop on Monday. The vehicle was impounded by authorities as part of their investigation.
The same day, Harper arrived at the Philadelphia Police Department’s 1st District headquarters to turn himself in. He now faces several charges in connection with the crash including homicide by vehicle (DUI), homicide by vehicle, accident involving death, recklessly endangering another person, and reckless driving.
Cathell’s sister, Mary Miles, told WCAU, “She meant a lot to everybody. To the world, she was just a person, but to her family, she was the world. So knowing what I know about her, it’s just unbelievable that someone would just leave her there.”
