Berkeley police are asking the public for help identifying a hit-and-run driver who seriously injured two elderly pedestrians in a West Berkeley crosswalk Wednesday night, according to the department and local news outlets.
Officers responded around 9 p.m. on Oct. 7 to University Avenue and Eighth Street after a 911 caller reported that two people had been struck. Emergency logs reviewed by The Berkeley Scanner put the call at about 8:50 p.m. When police arrived, they found a 78-year-old man and a 75-year-old woman with serious injuries. The Berkeley Fire Department took both to a hospital; Scanner reporting said they were rushed Code 3 to Highland Hospital.
Visitors from Barcelona, driver gone
Preliminary information from Berkeley police says the man and woman were crossing University Avenue in the eastern crosswalk when a dark-colored sedan traveling eastbound struck them. The motorist did not stay at the scene. ABC7 and KTVU, citing police and witness accounts shared with The Scanner, reported that the couple was visiting from Spain — specifically Barcelona, according to a neighbor who ran outside after hearing the crash.
That neighbor told The Scanner he found takeout containers strewn across the street, spoke with the injured woman about her arm and leg injuries, and placed the couple's passports beside her so they would not be lost. Initial reports relayed by The Scanner said the pedestrians appeared to have been thrown 15 to 20 feet. Eastbound lanes of University between Seventh and Ninth streets were closed during the investigation and reopened overnight, the outlet reported.
What investigators say next
Because of the severity of the crash, Berkeley's Fatal Accident Investigation Team — which also handles serious non-fatal collisions — is leading the case, Berkeleyside and police statements said. Police listed the case as 2026-00044769 in a city press release summarized by Public.com. By Thursday afternoon, The Scanner reported, Berkeley police said the couple was awake and alert in the hospital.
Authorities have not released a fuller description of the sedan or a suspect. Anyone with information is asked to call the Berkeley Police Department Traffic Unit at 510-981-5980. For West Berkeley residents and visitors walking University Avenue at night, the unanswered question remains whether witnesses or nearby camera footage can put a plate — and a driver — back at the eastern crosswalk.