A 24-year-old man was struck and killed by two separate vehicles late Monday night on Milwaukee's north side, and a 44-year-old bystander who stopped to help was also hit and injured. Police say the driver of the first vehicle fled the scene and remains at large, while the driver of the second vehicle stayed and is cooperating with investigators.
The crash happened around 11:15 p.m. Monday along North Teutonia Avenue near Ruby Avenue, according to Milwaukee police, as reported by WISN 12 News. Police say a first vehicle struck the pedestrian while he was in the street, and its driver left the scene without stopping. The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
As the man lay in the roadway, a 44-year-old witness stopped to help him, the outlet's report notes. Moments later, a second, southbound vehicle struck both the witness and the pedestrian. The driver of that second vehicle remained at the scene and is cooperating with investigators, per the same account, while the witness suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Search Continues for First Driver
Milwaukee police are still searching for the driver involved in the initial hit-and-run, the one who struck the pedestrian first and did not stop. Officers have asked anyone with information to call 414-935-7360. Crime Stoppers is also accepting anonymous tips at 414-224-TIPS or through P3 Tips for anyone who saw what happened but doesn't want to speak with police directly.
Under Wisconsin Statute § 346.74(5)(d), leaving the scene of a crash that results in a death is a Class D felony, punishable by up to 25 years in prison and fines as high as $100,000, according to the Wisconsin Legislature. Wisconsin law requires any driver involved in a fatal crash to stop immediately, remain at the scene, and render reasonable assistance. Meanwhile, the bystander who stopped to help before being struck is shielded from civil liability for any aid he rendered, since Wisconsin's Good Samaritan statute, expanded in 1977 according to the State Bar of Wisconsin, grants immunity to those who assist in good faith at the scene of an emergency.
A Corridor Already Marked by Tragedy
This is not the first fatal hit-and-run to strike Teutonia Avenue this year. On July 12, two pedestrians, May Daiber and Amy Austin, were killed in a hit-and-run just blocks away near West Vienna Street, with police at the time searching for a black 2007–2014 GMC Yukon that fled the scene, according to WTMJ. Ten days later, a 32-year-old motorcyclist was killed near North Teutonia Avenue and West Finn Place, marking the corridor's third traffic fatality in under two weeks, as reported by CBS 58, and prompting area residents to press city officials for traffic-calming measures.
A four-block stretch of North Teutonia Avenue runs between West Nash Street and West Capitol Drive. The corridor has also drawn attention over traffic safety.
Hit-and-Runs Remain an Outsized Problem Locally
Hit-and-runs remain a concern locally and nationally. People who witness a hit-and-run should call 911.
Citywide, Milwaukee tracks traffic deaths on corridors designated as part of the city's High Injury Network. Pedestrians and motor vehicle occupants were among those killed in traffic crashes in 2025. According to the City of Milwaukee's Milwaukee Crash Analysis, the city developed a High Injury Network to identify streets with elevated crash-related risk. According to the City of Milwaukee's 2021 Complete Streets Health and Equity Report, the High Injury Network consists of approximately 106 miles of streets where serious and fatal pedestrian crashes occur most often.
Milwaukee monitors traffic fatalities under the city's Vision Zero safety program. Nationally, pedestrian safety remains a concern.
It remains unknown whether investigators have identified the driver who fled Monday's crash, whether speed or impairment played any role, or whether the city will move to accelerate safety upgrades along Teutonia Avenue. For now, Milwaukee police continue to ask anyone with information about the fleeing driver to come forward.
