14-Year-Old Struck Crossing Street With Mom, Community Rallies

The vehicle believed to be involved in the hit-and-run crash that took the life of 14-year-old Dawn Watson has been found and a fundraiser has been started for her family.

Dawn Watson, 14, Philadelphia, and a memorial dedicated to her memory. Watson was killed in a hit-and-run crash in the city on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of GoFundMe Support for Dawn's Memorial Celebration/Jada Anderson*

Merriell Moyer

10/01/2024 4:11 p.m.

A 2011 Mercedes Benz E350 — that authorities believe struck and killed Dawn Watson as she was crossing the street with her mom in the 6500 block of Haverford Avenue — was located by the Crash Investigation Division on Monday, Sept. 30, the Philadelphia Police Department said in an updated police release on Tuesday, Oct. 1. No information on the driver was released.

The investigation is ongoing by the Crash Investigation Division.

Watson, 14, of the 900 block of North 66th Avenue in Philly, was crossing the street with her mom when a dark vehicle traveling east at a high rate of speed struck the girl and fled the scene, the Philadelphia Police Department said.

Officers were called to the crash scene at 6500 Haverford Avenue at 9:38 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The dark vehicle may have been a Mercedes, police said at that time.

Watson was pronounced dead at the scene at 9:46 p.m., PPD detailed.

"Our hearts are broken beyond words after the tragic loss of my little sister, Dawn Watson," Jada Anderson, Watson's sister, said in a GoFundMe campaign she started to help with funeral and memorial expenses. "Her laughter and love filled our lives with so much joy, and now there is an unimaginable emptiness without her."

Click here to view or donate to the GoFundMe.

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