Man Dies on Gulf Freeway After Jumping From Truck, Struck by Hit-and-Run Driver

A man died early Sunday morning after jumping out of a moving pickup truck during a fight with his sister on the Gulf Freeway, then getting run over by a driver who did not stop, Houston police said.

The crash happened around 2:30 a.m. in the northbound lanes of the Gulf Freeway near Scarsdale Boulevard, according to the Houston Police Department. Officers closed the inbound lanes of the freeway until about 6:45 a.m. while they investigated.

HPD said the man was riding in the back seat of a pickup truck driven by his sister's boyfriend, with his sister in the front passenger seat. The three were headed home from Whiskey River, a nightclub, when the brother and sister began arguing. Police said the argument turned physical, with the brother punching his sister from behind as the truck moved along the freeway.

HPD Lt. Willkens said the man grew agitated enough that he first tried to climb out through the truck's window while it was moving. When that didn't work, he opened the back door and stepped directly onto the freeway. The truck was traveling at roughly 60 miles per hour at the time, according to police. Willkens said the man's sister and her boyfriend tried to stop him from getting out but could not.

Drivers behind the pickup swerved to avoid hitting the man after he landed on the roadway, police said. A white Chevrolet Camaro did not swerve in time and ran over him, then kept driving without stopping. Willkens said investigators have not located the Camaro or its driver.

"We haven't found the white Camaro yet," Willkens told reporters at the scene.

Police have not said what triggered the fight between the siblings or released the names of anyone involved, including the man who died. HPD's hit-and-run unit is handling the search for the Camaro's driver. Leaving the scene of a fatal crash is a second-degree felony in Texas, punishable by up to 20 years in prison, though prosecutors would first need to identify and locate the driver.

The stretch of the Gulf Freeway near Scarsdale Boulevard runs through southeast Houston. Police said the man was already out of the vehicle and standing on the pavement when the Camaro struck him, meaning the case did not begin as a typical pedestrian crash.

HPD's Vehicular Crimes Division handles cases where a driver leaves the scene of a deadly wreck, often relying on surveillance footage and physical evidence left behind to identify a vehicle. Investigators have not said whether they've recovered parts of the Camaro or whether dash-cam footage exists from the vehicles that swerved to avoid the man.

The truck's driver and the man's sister remained at the scene and spoke with officers, according to details police provided about the sequence of events inside the vehicle. It's unclear whether either of them was cited or faces any charges connected to the altercation that preceded the man's death.

HPD has not released additional details about the man, including his age or hometown, pending notification of his family. The department's hit-and-run investigation remains open, and anyone with information about the white Camaro or its driver is asked to contact HPD directly. No arrests had been announced as of Sunday morning.