Suffolk County cops shared new details Thursday on an SUV sought in a Long Island hit-and-run that left a 13-year-old girl hurt and her brother, who pushed her out of the vehicle's path to save her life, dead. He was also 13.
Tyler Phillips and his sister, Krystal Randolph, were heading home around 7:30 p.m. Oct. 12 when cops say an SUV hit them in a bike lane on Granny Road. Phillips died of his injuries three days later. His sister wasn't severely hurt.
But a family friend, Steffani Campbell, said she witnessed the horror unfold.
"The car hit her first and I guess he went to jump and grab her, and it just took him," Campbell. "She said she watched him fly to the middle of the street and she called an ambulance. They told her to give him CPR and that was it."
Phillips, a William Paca Middle School student, had celebrated his 13th birthday the day before he was hit.
"He saved my life," his sister said, adding that her mother tells her, "He was a hero. He will always be a hero."
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Based on the investigation, detectives now believe the vehicle that fled the scene was a dark-colored Chevrolet Equinox made between 2005 and 2009. The front passenger headlight is damaged, as is the front passenger mirror -- and the sideview front passenger mirror should be broken, authorities said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a cash reward up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call 1-800-220-TIPS.
