Pennsylvania State Police are searching for a hit-and-run driver who struck a New York man and fled the scene late Thursday night in Carbon County. The victim, 27-year-old Kyle Elardo of Suffolk County, died on Route 903 after being thrown from an ATV and hit by an oncoming car. Investigators are now focused on tracking down a damaged sedan seen leaving the area.
Dispatchers received the first calls around 11:32 p.m. on September 17, 2026, directing troopers from the Fern Ridge barracks to the junction of State Route 903 and Church Road in Penn Forest Township. Arriving officers found Elardo unresponsive in the northbound lane of the two-lane roadway.
Physical evidence at the scene presented investigators with a specific set of circumstances. Elardo had been riding an all-terrain vehicle northbound when he came off the bike. The ATV drifted off the right side of the pavement, coming to a controlled rest beside a small tree without a scratch on it.
Moments after Elardo fell into the travel lane, an unidentified vehicle traveling along the same stretch of road struck him. State police reported that the driver failed to stop, check on the fallen rider, or contact emergency services before fleeing the crash site.
Based on vehicle fragments and evidence gathered along Route 903, police believe the striking vehicle is a white Subaru sedan. Investigators noted the car should have noticeable damage to its front driver-side fender as a result of the collision.
Multiple specialized units are working the case, including troopers from the Fern Ridge and Lehighton stations, the state police Forensic Services Unit, and the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction units. Carbon County Chief Deputy Coroner Jason T. Smith pronounced Elardo dead at the scene shortly after midnight on September 18.
The ATV was towed to the Fern Ridge state police station and placed into evidence while collision reconstructionists analyze the mechanics of the fall. An autopsy scheduled for Monday at the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office will provide additional details as troopers urge anyone with information regarding the white Subaru to contact state police immediately.
Leave a Reply