HEMET: Vehicle abandoned after rollover collision
City of Hemet firefighters arrived at the scene of the rollover within minutes and found the overturned vehicle abandoned. Gary Rainwater/Hemet News photo
HEMET – Hemet police and fire officials responded to multiple 911 calls reporting a vehicle rollover and fire in the area of S. Lyon Avenue and Peppertree Drive in Hemet Friday, Dec. 30.
Callers reported a Jeep Liberty had overturned and caught fire after it smashed at full-speed into a row of concrete K-Rail dividers about 7:19 p.m.
Hemet fire officials arrived at 7:23 p.m., four minutes after the call was dispatched. The first arriving firefighters confirmed finding the Jeep on its side with smoke coming from the engine compartment.
Witnesses to the accident reported seeing an unknown number of occupants fleeing from the vehicle after the wreck. The occupants were last seen running through a field towards Domenigoni Parkway.
The Jeep was destroyed by the high-speed impact. Will Whelan/Epicenter News photo
Police officers arrived and were working to determine if the vehicle was possibly stolen and to identify the driver and occupants who fled from the wreckage after the accident.
Officials are investigating the incident as a hit and run traffic collision.
The vehicle was later righted back onto its wheels and towed from the scene.
Anyone with information about the driver or occupants who fled from the vehicle are encouraged to contact Hemet police officials at (951) 765-2400. Callers can remain anonymous.
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