I will be introducing legislation to establish a pilot program in the City of Philadelphia to provide for a hit-and-run advisory system, to be known as “Jay Alerts.” The pilot program is based on statewide legislation I have introduced since 2016.
According to the Pennsylvania State Police Community Access to Information Dashboard, 8,038 hit-and-run crashes occurred in Pennsylvania in 2025. PennDOT data shows that in 2024, 72 hit-and-run driver crashes resulted in fatalities and 345 resulted in serious injuries. The Philadelphia Traffic Victims Dashboard shows there were 28 hit-and-run victims in the city in 2025. The year before, nearly half of pedestrian deaths and serious injuries in Philadelphia involved hit-and-runs.
Alerts to vehicle repair facilities under this pilot program shall be referred to as “Jay Alerts” in honor of eight-year-old Jayanna Powell, who was struck and killed in November of 2016 while walking home from school. The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and attempted to evade police by having someone else get his vehicle repaired. Only because of a news report did the repair shop owner know to alert law enforcement which led to the suspect’s arrest.
Automotive businesses in the city, including Motor Vehicle Repair shops, are currently required to be licensed as business entities with the Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections. The pilot program would provide for a uniform registry to be created for the purpose of enabling vehicle repair facilities licensed by the city to receive notifications.
Following a hit-and-run accident, Philadelphia Police Department would be required to alert all vehicle repair facilities in Philadelphia through the uniform system. The information in the alert must be provided as available to include, but not be limited to, the following:
- Vehicle make, model, year, and color;
- License Plate Number;
- Unique identifying characteristics; and
- Extent of vehicle damage.
An annual report will be compiled by the City of Philadelphia to be shared with the General Assembly and appropriate state agencies. The pilot program will sunset after 3 years.
Providing alerts is a commonsense way to ensure drivers who flee the scene of an accident are held accountable, especially when they have caused someone’s life to be tragically altered or cut short. Please join me in co-sponsoring this important legislation.