Police seize BMW connected to fatal hit-and-run crash on New Year’s Day

OAKLAND TOWNSHIP — Police have identified a person of interest connected to a hit-and-run crash that killed a man from Shelby Township the morning of Jan. 1.

Police say Benjamin Kable, 22, was on foot in the southbound lane of Rochester Road, south of Whims Lane, when he was struck by a vehicle heading southbound at approximately 5:49 a.m.

The driver fled the scene after the crash.

“A terrible crash like this is horrific enough, but to flee the scene and leave a person in the road like trash is unforgivable,” Sheriff Michael Bouchard said in a statement.

A witness said a woman was driving a BMW 3 series sedan model between 2016 and 2018, possibly white, gray or silver in color, when it struck Kable.

Investigators said the vehicle involved is likely missing its front right grille and a portion of its left front grille, and has damage to its hood and front bumper.

On Jan. 5, a BMW 3-Series sedan was found at a residence not far from the crash scene at Rochester Road and Whims Lane in Oakland Township.

Bouchard credited a concerned citizen with providing information that led to the seizure of the vehicle.

“I knew the community would do everything they could to help us locate the driver involved in this tragic death,” Bouchard said in a statement. “We greatly appreciate when people step up, and I am optimistic that we are headed down the right path.”

Although investigators also identified an Oakland Township resident as a person of interest in the crash, no arrests had been made at press time.

The case remains under investigation.

Police said they don’t know if Kable was standing or walking in the roadway when he was hit. The speed limit where the crash occurred is 50 mph.

Paramedics from the Oakland Township Fire Department pronounced Kable dead at the scene.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit is investigating the incident. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-SPEAK UP. Police said Crime Stoppers pays a reward of up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest, and tipsters remain anonymous.