A 27-year-old Suffolk County man was killed after falling from an ATV onto a Pennsylvania roadway and being struck by a driver who fled, authorities said.
Kyle Elardo was riding an ATV on State Route 903 near Church Road in Penn Forest Township, Carbon County, late Thursday, Sept. 17, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
Troopers from the Fern Ridge station were called to the scene at about 11:30 p.m. Police said Elardo fell from the ATV for reasons that remain under investigation and landed in the northbound travel lane.
The ATV continued off the roadway before coming to a controlled stop near a small tree and showed no apparent damage, according to police.
Investigators said a vehicle then struck Elardo and continued without stopping. Elardo was pronounced dead at 12:18 a.m. Friday by the Carbon County Coroner’s Office.
Investigators are searching for a white sedan, possibly a Subaru, with front fender damage on the driver’s side.
Police released an image of the suspected hit-and-run vehicle, described as a white sedan and reported as possibly being a Subaru with damage to the driver’s-side front fender.
Elardo’s family offered a more detailed account of the crash in a GoFundMe created after his death. Family members said Elardo had recently been working in Pennsylvania and was riding his ATV on trails when he lost control, struck a guardrail and was thrown into the road.
The family said the first vehicle struck Elardo and fled. They also said his friends then tried to stop traffic before a tractor-trailer struck him a second time and also failed to stop.
Pennsylvania State Police have not publicly confirmed the family’s account of a second vehicle striking Elardo. The police information released publicly identifies the suspected white sedan in connection with the fatal hit-and-run.
Loved ones described Elardo as someone who was friends with everyone and could always be relied upon. The family said money raised through the fundraiser will help with expenses and efforts to seek accountability, as well as planned permanent tributes to Elardo at Citi Field and MetLife Stadium.
The investigation is being handled by Pennsylvania State Police at Fern Ridge along with the Troop N Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Specialist Unit and Forensic Services Unit.
Anyone with information about the crash or the suspected vehicle is asked to call Pennsylvania State Police at 570-646-2271.
Photo: GoFundMe
