A 19-year-old Virginia resident, Jeremias Escalante Perez, suffered life-threatening injuries after being struck by a car performing burnouts in a Marietta shopping center.
The crash happened around 11:30 p.m. on Friday, April 25 at Westside Plaza near the intersection of Powder Springs Road and Sandtown Road. According to police, the driver of a silver Infinity G35 hit Perez and dragged him while attempting to leave the parking lot. The driver fled without stopping to help the injured teen.
What We Don’t Know: Police haven’t released information about the driver’s identity or whether there were any witnesses to the crash beyond those who reported it. It’s unclear if security cameras captured the incident or if police have any leads on the vehicle’s license plate.
In Context: Hit-and-run crashes remain a serious problem in Georgia. According to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, pedestrian fatalities have been increasing statewide in recent years, with many victims left at crash scenes without medical assistance.
Take Action: Anyone with information about the silver Infinity G35 or its driver is urged to contact Officer J. Henderson at 770-794-5384. Anonymous tips can be submitted through the Marietta Police Department’s app or via Crime Stoppers Greater Atlanta.
B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.
