University of Delaware freshman hit and killed by speeding motorcyclist

Police are investigating after a first-year student at the University of Delaware was struck and killed by a speeding motorcyclist on Tuesday, just hours after the start of the fall semester.

The incident happened just before midnight when a student was hit in a crosswalk on West Main Street near North College Avenue.

Investigators said it all started at around 11:50 a.m. when a University of Delaware police officer attempted to stop a motorcycle for a traffic offense on East Main Street near South Chapel Street.

Police say the driver ignored the officer’s emergency lights and sped off westbound on East Main Street.

The officer did not pursue the motorcycle and turned off his emergency lights, according to Newark Police.

One minute later, investigators said the motorcycle struck the 18-year-old woman from New Jersey.

The motorcyclist fell off, but police said the motorcycle continued onto the sidewalk on the north side of West Main Street, hitting four other pedestrians and a light pole.

Bystanders tried to save the woman’s life, but they were unsuccessful. She died at the scene, according to police.

“As a parent, I can’t imagine you’re sending your child off to school to see the world, and going away from home, and getting that call or that visit unfortunately early in the morning, it’s truly tragic,” said Newark Police Sgt. Jay Conover.

Three of the pedestrians on the sidewalk suffered minor injuries and refused to be taken to the hospital. The fourth pedestrian suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

In a letter to the university community, officials said the woman was a first-year student at the school and that many of her classmates and friends.

“Incidents such as this are unimaginably tragic. We cannot express enough how sorry we are for the family, friends, and greater community as we are all so deeply shaken by the sudden loss of one of our own. Our hearts are very heavy today,” President Dennis Assanis and Vice President José-Luis Riera said in a statement.

Police said the motorcyclist was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The motorcyclist, who police said was a man, has not been charged at this time as Newark police continue to investigate.

Out of respect for the family, police have not yet released the victim’s identity.

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