Community Police & Fire Transportation

State Patrol asks for help in ID’ing people involved in Highway 16 crash

Washington State Patrol detectives are asking for help in identifying a man who fled the scene of a collision Wednesday, March 22, on Highway 16 near Highway 302 — or his girlfriend.

The collision closed Highway 16 from about 1 p.m. until about 7 p.m. Wednesday. A 73-year-old Gig Harbor woman suffered serious injuries, according to Washington State Patrol.

The white Ford Ranger that fled the scene of the collision on Highway 16 on Wednesday, March 22. The license plate on the truck does not match its registration.

The man who caused the collision was driving a gray Ford F-350 pickup east in the westbound lanes of Highway 16. He collided with a Toyota Highlander, injuring the 73-year-old passenger inside.

The F-350 had been stolen from the parking lot of Tacoma Mall earlier that day.

#YourWSP is seeking the public’s assistance locating a Hit and Run suspect/his girlfriend 👇

The license plate affixed to the Ford Ranger (picture) does not match the vehicle pic.twitter.com/pRtP2JOHTf

— Trooper Robert Reyer (@wspd1pio) March 23, 2023

The driver of the stolen pickup ran into the woods in the direction of Highway 302. Washington State Patrol described him as a white male in his late 30s, about 5-foot-8 and heavy, with brown curly hair and a short beard.

Shortly after the collision, a white Ford Ranger stopped at the scene. A woman got out of the truck and told witnesses the driver of the F-350 was her boyfriend.

After the witnesses told the woman where the driver ran, she got back in the Ranger and left the scene. Washington State Patrol described the woman as in her 30s with long, dark hair with purple ends.

Anybody with information about the suspect or his girlfriend should call WSP Detective Kevin Pratt at 253-538-3173.

This woman told witnesses that the suspect in the collision was her boyfriend, then fled the scene.