Two men were killed in separate crashes near New Castle Wednesday night, according to Delaware State Police.
Neither of their names were released by police as of midday Thursday.
Hit-and-run crash leaves motorcyclist dead
Police said that a 31-year-old motorcyclist from Wilmington was killed in a hit-and-run at 9:41 p.m. on South Dupont Highway.
The man was heading north on a gray 2020 Kawasaki ZX-9R towards the intersection with Second Avenue near New Castle, according to police. At the same time, the unidentified driver of a blue 2021 Mazda CX-5 heading south on South Dupont Highway entered the same intersection.
State police said the motorcyclist went around a car that was stopped in the left turn lane at the red light and began to turn left onto Second Avenue. The driver of the Mazda, whom police said had a green light, also drove through the intersection, hitting the right side of the motorcycle.
The motorcyclist was thrown off the bike, and the Mazda stopped on the shoulder of the road, according to police. The driver then got out of the car and began walking south on South Dupont Highway, and police have not yet found them.
The motorcyclist was taken to the hospital, where he later died. The road was closed for about three hours.
Pedestrian fatally hit near New Castle
About two hours later, a 40-year-old pedestrian from New Castle was fatally hit by a car on New Castle Avenue (Route 9) near New Castle, Delaware State Police said.
Police said that the man was walking northbound on the right shoulder of Route 9 just past West Avenue at 11:46 p.m. At the same time, a 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee was driving north in the right northbound lane of Route 9.
Police said the man walked directly into the path of the Jeep as it passed, and he was fatally hit by the front of the car.
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Route 9 was closed between West Avenue and Hillview Drive for about three hours Wednesday night, and police are still investigating the incident.
Police looking for information
Anyone with information about the hit-and-run is asked to call Master Cpl. J. Forester at 302-365-8485.
Anyone with information about the pedestrian crash is asked to call Cpl. Santangelo at 302-633-5000.
Tips can also be sent to Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-847-3333.
Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on Twitter at @h_edelman.
