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4-year-old child struck by hit-and-run vehicle on Okeechobee Boulevard

Boy taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in critical condition; police search for driver
Police at intersection of Okeechobee Boulevard and Rosemary Avenue after hit-and-run crash in West Palm Beach
Posted at 9:36 PM, Dec 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-12-13 13:08:05-05

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — A 4-year-old child was struck by a hit-and-run vehicle while crossing Okeechobee Boulevard with his family in downtown West Palm Beach, police said.

The hit-and-run crash occurred Sunday night in the eastbound lanes of Okeechobee Boulevard near Rosemary Avenue.

West Palm Beach police spokesman Mike Jachles said the gray or white four-door vehicle fled the scene after the crash across from the Hilton hotel. Police were searching for the driver.

skid marks in crosswalk on Okeechobee Boulevard at Rosemary Avenue at scene of hit-and-run crash in West Palm Beach
Skid marks are visible in the crosswalk of Okeechobee Boulevard at Rosemary Avenue, where a child was injured in a hit-and-run crash Dec. 12, 2021, in downtown West Palm Beach, Fla.

Jachles said the child was taken to St. Mary's Medical Center in critical condition.

"Message to the driver is do the right thing and come forward," he said.

The eastbound lanes of Okeechobee Boulevard were closed to traffic from Rosemary Avenue to Parker Avenue during the investigation but have since reopened.