A 41-year-old Berkeley man is now in custody after police say he drove off from a South Berkeley crash that left a pedestrian badly injured in a marked crosswalk. The collision happened the evening of April 7 at Adeline Street and Harmon Street, and the victim was rushed to Highland Hospital with significant head and body injuries. The case has stirred fresh concern about conditions along Adeline, a busy corridor that has long been on the city’s list for traffic-calming fixes.
Investigators say the car linked to the hit-and-run was a black 2014 Toyota Camry registered to the alleged driver. Officers located the sedan and noted a distinctive strip of tape along the passenger-side rear bumper seam where it meets the quarter panel. The vehicle carried California plate 8GDE554, according to authorities, and detectives arrested the registered owner on April 15 after follow-up work by investigators, as reported by KRON4.
How the crash unfolded
The collision came in just after 8:10 PM on April 7 at Adeline and Harmon, where firefighters arrived to find a pedestrian down in the roadway and northbound lanes shut while officers processed the scene. Early accounts described the victim, initially reported as a man in his 20s, being struck in a marked crosswalk and thrown about 15 feet before first responders took him to Highland Hospital. That early coverage was reported by The Berkeley Scanner.
Police account and injuries
Berkeley police later told reporters that the pedestrian was carried on top of the car for roughly 125 feet before the driver stopped, and that the victim suffered significant head and body injuries. The man has since been identified as a 28-year-old, and authorities say the investigation into the crash and the alleged hit-and-run remains active. Officials have not yet released any information about filed charges, according to details provided to reporters by KRON4.
Where Adeline fits into city safety plans
Adeline Street appears in city staff reports as part of Berkeley’s high-injury network, which is targeted in the city’s Vision Zero traffic-safety strategy. Staff documents outline short-term, quick-build projects alongside more extensive redesigns aimed at slowing vehicles and shortening pedestrian crossings. Vision Zero work is supposed to eliminate fatal and severe traffic crashes in Berkeley by 2028, and those policies have shaped the slate of proposed changes on Adeline. Police are asking anyone with video or other tips to call Berkeley Police non-emergency dispatch at (510) 981-5900, the number listed on the department’s front-counter page for non-emergency reports.
Neighborhood context
Neighbors and council members have been pressing City Hall for faster safety upgrades after a series of serious collisions on major corridors, and staff have leaned on quick-build projects while planning larger capital work that takes years to deliver. Local reporting and council discussions have documented the pattern of crashes and the city’s response, often highlighting the Adeline corridor as a top priority for traffic-calming improvements. For background on recent collisions and Berkeley’s broader push for street-safety fixes, see Berkeleyside.
