OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is investigating a New Year's Day tragedy. Investigators said a young man was killed in a fatal hit-and-run in Oakland Township.
It happened on Rochester Road just south of Whims Lane at 5:49 a.m.
“I just saw flashing lights about… 6 ‘o clock in the morning. Didn’t think anything of it," Frank Bjarnesen recalled.
Bjarnesen lives off Rochester Road. What he figured was a traffic stop turned out to be anything but.
“Half hour later, they were still out there. So, I walked out and saw the unfortunate," he recalled.
Unfortunate and tragic. The sheriff's office said someone hit and killed 22-year-old Benjamin Kable of Shelby Township. It's not clear where he was walking to or coming from.
Authorities said Kable was walking in the southbound lane and the driver was traveling in the same direction.
"It’s a bad way to start the new year for the family," Bjarnesen said.
Sheriff Mike Bouchard told 7 Action News, “Obviously the first day of the new year to start with the death of a loved one or a friend is just the worst thing you can imagine."
“Worse yet, to know that someone struck your friend of loved one and took off," he added.
Now, Bouchard said the public’s help is badly needed in catching the suspect.
A press release from the sheriff's office states investigators believe the vehicle involved is a BMW 300 series model between 2012 and 2019 that is possibly white.
Bouchard said his message to the driver is "turn yourself in."
"You obviously know something terrible happened, and you obviously also know that if that happened to a family (member) or loved one or a friend of yours you’d want that to have closure. It’s the right thing to do. Sooner or later, we’re gonna find you. So, it goes a lot better on you if you take the first step," he said.
Anyone with information can call the Oakland County Sheriff's Office at 248-858-4950. They can also call Crime Stoppers, remain anonymous and receive up to a $1,000 reward at 1-800-SPEAK UP.
