Police appeal for public’s help, 5 years after teen killed in ‘intentional’ hit and run

October 25, 2024 Canuck

Five years after a teen was fatally struck in a hit and run in East York, police say they are focused on identifying the car’s driver and are pleading with the passenger in the vehicle to come forward.

Matthew Dreaver was 16 years old when he was killed. Police said he was “intentionally struck” by a vehicle near Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive around 2 a.m. on Oct. 7, 2019.

At a news conference on Friday, Toronto police Det. Sgt. Brandon Price said the passenger in question left the vehicle shortly before the fatal collision.

“I believe that you were not in the vehicle at the time the driver ran over and killed Matthew Dreaver. I also believe that you did not know the driver was going to run over Matthew. I am looking to speak with you as a witness to this event,” Price said.

The passenger is no longer considered a suspect, police said.

Dreaver’s mother, Kelly Jones, made a tearful plea asking for anyone with information to speak with police.

“How could this happen to my child? I want Matthew to be able to rest peacefully knowing the person who did this is held responsible,” she said.

Dreaver’s best friend was also at the news conference and gave her name as Brooklyn. She said he likely would have been starting college by now.

“He would be living a great life, working his own job, being a strong, independent Indigenous man,” she said.

WATCH | Family of teen killed in hit and run appeal for public’s help:

Family of teen killed in East York hit and run appeal for public’s help in solving case

3 hours ago

Duration 1:31

Matthew Dreaver was struck and killed in a 2019 hit and run. Five years later, Toronto police and Dreaver’s family are appealing to the public for help in solving the case.

Price said that night, Dreaver and a friend got into an “interaction” with two men, who later went to their car and started chasing the two teens, who fled on foot.

According to police, the men searched the area for the teens for “some time,” and eventually found them by a park. That’s when police believe the passenger got out of the car, while the driver remained in the vehicle and chased after Dreaver and his friend.

Police previously released a video showing the two teens sprinting down a sidewalk lined with a fence, when a dark SUV emerges from a grassy area, striking Dreaver and running him over. The car then drives away and circles back.

Video shows SUV driving away, circling back after striking teen

2 hours ago

Duration 0:15

WARNING: This video contains graphic footage. It was previously released by Toronto police, and shows the moments after a dark SUV ran over 16-year-old Matthew Dreaver in 2019.

Police say the car returned to pick up the passenger who had left the vehicle. The car is described as a 2007-2012 Hyundai Santa Fe that’s dark blue or black.

The driver is described as a white male who is 20-35 years old and 5’10” to 5’11” tall, with short to balding hair and a round face.

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