A 14-year-old Dayton boy riding an electric dirt bike was struck and killed by a black Cadillac Escalade that failed to yield and then fled the scene, according to police. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office has identified the victim as Justin Stansberry, and investigators are still searching for the driver who left him behind.
The crash happened around 7 p.m. last Monday near the intersection of Lori Sue and Sundale avenues, according to the Dayton Daily News. Police said a black Cadillac Escalade on Lori Sue Avenue failed to yield to oncoming traffic and struck the teen, who suffered life-threatening injuries. Stansberry was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he later died, per the outlet's reporting.
The Cadillac reportedly left the scene without stopping, the newspaper reported, despite Ohio law requiring drivers involved in a crash to remain and render aid. WHIO TV reported that reporter Trinity Corbett was expected to speak with police about the ongoing investigation and share the latest developments. WDTN independently confirmed that officials said the SUV did not yield to oncoming traffic before striking the boy and did not stay at the scene.
Investigators Say the Teen Wasn't Riding Unsafely
Police examined the bike Stansberry was riding and said it was a Razor Dirt Rocket Mx350, capable of a top speed of just 20 mph, according to the Dayton Daily News. An inspection found no signs the bike had been modified to go faster, the report noted. Investigators said they had no indication that the 14-year-old was doing anything unsafe at the time of the crash.
That detail matters to the direction of the investigation, since it points responsibility squarely at the driver who failed to yield rather than at the teen's riding. Police have said the central unresolved piece of the case remains the identity of the person behind the wheel.
Narrowing Down the Suspect Vehicle
Investigators believe the Escalade involved is a third-generation model, built somewhere between 2007 and 2014, the same report states. That timeframe still leaves a wide pool of possible vehicles: officials said more than 400 matching Escalades were actively registered in Montgomery County alone, per the newspaper's account of the approximate figure.
The scale of that search isn't unusual for Dayton, where the Dayton Daily News reports police investigate roughly 1,400 hit-and-run cases every year. Few of those, however, involve a death.
How to Help the Investigation
Dayton police are asking anyone with information about the crash or the driver to contact Detective Timothy Rizer at 937-333-1142. Tips can also be submitted anonymously to Miami Valley Crime Stoppers at 937-222-STOP (7867) or through miamivalleycrimestoppers.com.
No arrest or charges have been reported in connection with the crash as the search for the driver continues.
