Pedestrian killed in Riverdale hit-and-run, driver still at large

Fatal hit-and-run under investigation in Riverdale

A deadly hit-and-run is under investigation tonight in Riverdale. Police say a driver struck a woman then took off. 

RIVERDALE, Ill. - A deadly hit-and-run is under investigation after a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle Wednesday in south suburban Riverdale.

What we know:

Police are investigating a deadly hit-and-run that killed a 72-year-old woman Wednesday night in Riverdale.

Authorities have identified the victim as Harriett Reynolds. Riverdale police say Reynolds was struck by a vehicle while walking out of an HP gas station along South Indiana Avenue. The driver fled the scene.

No one is in custody, but police say both the suspect and the vehicle involved have been identified.

Reynolds’ best friend, Cathy Ortiz, says the two lived in the same senior apartment building across the street from the gas station. Ortiz said Reynolds had gone out to buy cigarettes, something she did regularly, when she was hit.

Ortiz said she watched the crash unfold from her living room window.

"She was coming out the door, where the yellow posts are," Ortiz said. "It sent her across those posts."

Ortiz described Reynolds as "a good person with a good heart and a good soul," adding that the loss has been devastating.

"This person that killed her knocked her out of her shoes," Ortiz said. "That’s how hard they hit her pulling up to this gas station."

An employee at the gas station told Fox Chicago that surveillance cameras captured the vehicle involved and that footage was turned over to police.

Ortiz said she had urged Reynolds not to go out that night, saying she believed the area had recently become more dangerous.

"Every time I would tell her no, it’s not safe," Ortiz said. "She’d say, ‘Oh, it’s fine.’ Last night it wasn’t."

The investigation remains ongoing.