UPDATE: This story has been updated to note that police have seized a new vehicle of interest in the fatal hit-and-run incident on North Salisbury Boulevard.
The death of 29-year-old Colin Lin, the victim of a hit-and-run on Route 13 in Salisbury last week, has devastated his family.
It’s also forced them to close their restaurant, Tokyo Steakhouse, indefinitely. Lin was the operating manager.
“My brother was very well-known, very well-loved,” his sister, Mimi Lin, said Monday. “A lot of customers that came in recognized him. He was a funny guy.”
Colin Lin lived near the family business, which is located at 2475 N. Salisbury Blvd., his sister said. In the early morning hours of Aug. 16, he and some friends decided to go to the Wawa on Route 13, his sister said. His friends walked, while he drove a motorized scooter he’d had for about a month, according to his sister.
At about 3:40 a.m., he tried to cross the northbound lanes of Route 13 from a median crossover near Oliphant Street, a Maryland State Police news release issued later that day said. Following a crash, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Mimi Lin said the family met with state police earlier Monday and they have obtained more video footage.
Originally, police were looking for a truck tractor they believed to be part of the incident, but police updated the news release Monday evening. They now believe the crash occurred around 4 a.m. and the truck tractor has been ruled out as a suspect vehicle.
A white Ford Edge was identified as a vehicle of interest, and it was seized by police Monday.
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In addition, forensic analysis of the debris at the crash scene identified parts belonging to a Kia Soul, believed to be light-colored and from between 2016 and 2019, according to police.
“They do have some pretty significant evidence,” Mimi Lin said. “But the community can help speed things along.”
Anyone with information related to the incident should contact the Maryland State Police Salisbury Barrack at 410-749-3101.
Colin Lin was the second-oldest of six siblings, according to Mimi Lin. Their father, Jie Lin, owns the Tokyo Steakhouses in both Salisbury and Lewes. The family splits their time between the two towns, but Colin Lin was the primary operator of the Salisbury location, his sister said.
“He was there every single day. It’s logistically difficult to run without him,” Mimi Lin said. “We are hopeful that we will reopen, but at this moment, we can’t specify a time.”
She urged the community to come forward with information and sought to dispel a social media rumor.
“We have not hired a (private investigator); we are working very closely with police. They have offered a lot of support and put a lot of work into this. This has definitely been escalated –— they’re taking it very seriously,” she said. “The community is riled up, but we’re just asking them to support our officers however they can.”
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