A man was struck and killed by a motorcycle while crossing Bustleton Avenue at its intersection with Roosevelt Boulevard in Northeast Philadelphia Wednesday night. The 39-year-old motorcyclist was also hurt in the crash and taken to a hospital, according to police. The roadway was shut down for hours as crews worked the scene.
According to NBC Philadelphia, the man was crossing Bustleton Avenue at the Roosevelt Boulevard intersection when he was struck just after 6 p.m. Wednesday. A separate account from Delaware Valley News placed the collision closer to 5:45 p.m., just south of Bustleton Avenue on Roosevelt Boulevard, while FOX 29 Philadelphia reported the crash occurred at about 6:10 p.m. according to police. The discrepancies underscore how fluid the early reporting on the crash has been.
The 39-year-old motorcyclist was hurt and taken to the hospital, the NBC report notes, though the outlet's account did not specify his current condition beyond that. The man who was struck has not yet been identified, per the station's reporting. Delaware Valley News, meanwhile, cautioned in its own account that it remained unclear at the time whether the pedestrian or the motorcycle rider was the one killed, and that its report was based on preliminary information subject to change.
Roadway Reopens After Hours-Long Shutdown
The crash shut down the roadway for several hours as crews responded to the scene, but it has since reopened, NBC Philadelphia reported. Roosevelt Boulevard is one of the busiest and most dangerous corridors in Philadelphia, and crashes there routinely snarl traffic across Northeast Philadelphia during peak travel hours.
Wednesday's crash echoes past fatal collisions at the same intersection. In May 2018, a person was struck and killed in the southbound lanes of Roosevelt Boulevard at Bustleton Avenue, according to 6ABC, with the driver of the striking vehicle stopping at the scene as police investigated. In a separate 2018 incident nearby, a driver struck a 44-year-old man on Roosevelt Boulevard near Bustleton Avenue around 10:15 p.m., and the victim died at the hospital a short time later, 6ABC reported at the time.
City Safety Efforts Along the Corridor
Philadelphia officials have been working to address safety concerns along Roosevelt Boulevard in recent years. The city has noted that PennDOT is installing new pedestrian safety features, including medians or refuge islands designed to let pedestrians cross one direction of traffic at a time, according to the city's 2024 Vision Zero annual report. Deputy Managing Director for Transportation and Infrastructure Mike Carroll has said, “Every life lost to traffic violence is tragic and the only acceptable number of traffic deaths is zero.”
Separately, city officials have reported that automated speed enforcement cameras along the corridor reduced speeding violations by 95 percent and pedestrian-involved crashes by 50 percent since their installation, according to statements released when Mayor Parker signed legislation expanding the program. Despite those measures, Wednesday's crash shows the corridor remains hazardous for pedestrians attempting to cross its multiple lanes of traffic.
No information about citations, arrests or fault has been released, and the investigation into Wednesday's crash remains active. Police have not yet released the identity of the man who died.
