(NEWARK, Del.) — A University of Delaware student was killed and several other people were injured when a U-Haul truck driver fled from police and collided with people near campus, officials said.
On Tuesday afternoon, officers in a parking lot spotted a U-Haul truck that had been reported Monday “as an unauthorized use vehicle” after it was rented but was not returned when due last month, Newark police said.
As officers moved in to arrest the U-Haul driver and passenger, the driver drove through the parking lot, going over a curb and hitting a marked police car, according to police.
The driver ignored the officers’ commands and sped out of the parking lot, police said, adding that the “officers did not engage in a vehicle pursuit and remained in the shopping center.”
The U-Haul driver then sped down a street, hitting two pedestrians who were standing next to a parked car, according to police. The truck then hit several parked cars before coming to a stop, police said.
One of the two pedestrians — a University of Delaware student whose identity has not been released — died at the scene, according to police and the university.
The second pedestrian was hospitalized with serious injuries, police said.
Another three victims were taken to hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and three people were treated at the scene for minor injuries, police said. University of Delaware students are also among the injured, university officials said.
Officers responded to the disabled U-Haul and detained the driver and the passenger, police said, adding that the driver was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Police said the crash “appears to be an isolated criminal and traffic incident.”
“This is a terrible tragedy,” university President Dennis Assanis and Vice President for Student Life José-Luis Riera said in a letter to the university. “We speak for the entire University in offering our condolences to the families, friends and classmates of the victims, and keep the other members of our community in our thoughts who may have witnessed the crash and its aftermath.”
“The safety of our entire community remains our top priority, and we will continue to work with our partners in city and state government to address safety concerns around and on the UD campus,” they added.
Copyright © 2025, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.