Police seek victim’s ID
and driver that hit her
By Rosemarie Bernardo Police are asking for the public's assistance in identifying a woman who apparently jumped from the Pali Highway overpass onto the H-1 freeway yesterday.
rbernardo@starbulletin.comPolice are also looking for the driver whose vehicle struck the woman.
The woman fell 25 to 30 feet onto an unidentified vehicle in the Waianae-bound lanes of the freeway about 5:15 a.m.
Police said the vehicle fled the area after the driver struck the victim. The woman was pronounced dead at 5:42 a.m.
Sgt. Alan Vegas of the Vehicular Homicide Section said the driver may be facing an charge of failure to render aid.
Last Wednesday, a 44-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping from the Queen Emma Street overpass, a medical examiner and police confirmed.
"We're satisfied that they're not related right now," said homicide Lt. Bill Kato. "This could've been a copycat, but we're not sure. We're really not going to know until we identify her."
Traffic was snarled while police investigated both incidents. Police closed the Koko Head-bound portion of the H-1 freeway Wednesday because evidence was spread across three lanes.
One lane remained open yesterday while evidence was confined to two Waianae-bound lanes.
"I can't see how traffic can be avoided," said Vegas. "There's so many things we need to do in collecting evidence ... That's going to take time."
The woman is described as Asian between 60 and 70 years old, 5 feet and 135 pounds.
She is further described as having long, salt-and-pepper-colored hair that was tied in a ponytail.
Police said the woman was wearing a blue hooded sweater, two T-shirts -- one green and the other brown -- white pants and black walking shoes.
The woman also wore a silver ring and was carrying a set of house and car keys.
The vehicle that struck the woman is described as a white or light-colored older model, possibly a foreign-made compact sedan with damage to the front end.
Anyone with information on the woman or who may have seen her on the Pali Highway overpass before she fell or information on the driver that struck her is asked to call Detectives Michael Tsuda or James Anderson at 529-3115 or CrimeStoppers at 955-8300.