Hit & Run Turns Into Hide & Seek

A hit and run crash in Manchester turned into a game of hide and seek for police officers yesterday. 

Patrolman Thomas O'Hare responded to the scene at the intersection of Southampton Blvd. and Madison Ave. in the Pine Lake Park section of Manchester on Saturday to

allegedly find only one of the cars involved in the crash remained.  The 23-year-old driver of the remaining vehicle told police a blue van hit her 2009 Toyota Matrix.

Officers immediately flooded the area to search for the van involved in the accident. Shortly after, Sgt. James Dellane found a vehicle parked on Madison Ave. partially covered by a tarp that matched the vehicles description.  He and Patrolman Antonio Ellis visited a nearby residence to ask about the van, which turned out to be the vehicle involved in the hit and run.

The officers placed the alleged driver of the van, 49-year-old Edward J. Whiteford, under arrest and charged him with Tampering with Evidence after determining he purposefully tried to conceal the van from police. Whiteford was also charged with multiple motor vehicle violations and released pending court proceedings.

The driver of the Toyota was taken to Community Medical Center for treatment and was later released.