Man Charged In Cheltenham Hit And Run That Left 30-Year-Old Dead

CHELTENHAM, PA — A man is in custody in Montgomery County after police said he ran over a woman twice and then fled the scene, leaving her to die in the street.

Authorities said they tracked down Terrell Russell, 25, of Philadelphia, after an expansive and "high tech" investigation into the incident which left Shanna Hurdle, 30, dead in Wyncote.

The hit and run occurred back on Sunday, Sept. 27, on Cheltenham Avenue near the intersection with Ogontz Avenue.

>>Woman Killed In Hit And Run In Wyncote Sunday, Police Say

Hurdle was crossing Cheltenham Avenue, and was in the center-left turn lane when Russell struck her with his 2020 GMC Acadia, police said. Her body was thrown 152 feet, according to investigators.

Authorities said Russell hit the brakes upon impact, but then after a moment sped away, running over her body again as he left.

Police were able to identify the striking vehicle as a GMC Acadia thanks to surveillance footage and pieces of the trim recovered at the scene. With the cooperation of local businesses and residents who had security cameras, they then tracked the Acadia down Cheltenham Avenue to Upsal Avenue, and all the way to Michener Avenue.

The Montgomery County District Attorney's Office said that the point where they lost the vehicle was near to where Russell actually lived.

In the ensuing investigation, police went through a list of more than 100 GMC Acadias located in Montgomery, Bucks, Philadelphia, and Delaware counties. When they eliminated each of these as possible suspects, they turned to rental cars, eventually tracing down a suspicious rental from an Enterprise Rental on Cheltenham Avenue.

Russell rented the GMC on Sept. 18 and then extended the rental contract twice, police said. Police later discovered he attempted to have to the GMC repaired, and still had not returned the vehicle when he was arrested.

“This was an excellent investigation that combined high-tech investigative techniques
with good old-fashioned police work to lead us to this defendant," DA Kevin Steele said in a statement.

Russell was charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death, tampering with evidence, failing to render aid, careless driving leading to an unintentional death, and failure to notify police of an accident.

Bail was set at $50,000. A preliminary hearing is set for Oct. 29.