Police say the 23-year-old was struck in a signal-controlled crosswalk on South Tower Road late Thursday.
AURORA, Colo. — A 23-year-old man died after he was struck by three vehicles at a crosswalk in the 2700 block of South Tower Road late Thursday night, Aurora police said. Two drivers left the scene before officers arrived; a third driver remained and is cooperating with investigators.
Authorities said the man was found lying in a signal-controlled crosswalk that connects to the Unnamed Creek Trail just before midnight Thursday, Nov. 20. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he died. The case is being handled by the Aurora Police Department’s Traffic Investigations Unit, which is reviewing witness statements and nearby video and is asking the public for additional information. The identity of the man will be released by coroner officials after family notification. Police said there were no immediate signs that alcohol or drugs were factors for the driver who stayed at the scene.
Officers were dispatched around midnight after callers reported a person down in the roadway near the trail crossing. In a statement, police spokesperson Gabby Easterwood said witnesses reported the man “may have been hit by two vehicles that left the scene,” and that a third vehicle also struck him but the motorist stayed to speak with officers. Investigators closed a stretch of South Tower Road to document the scene and canvass nearby homes and businesses for cameras that may show the sequence of impacts or the direction the fleeing vehicles traveled. Traffic investigators placed evidence markers through the crosswalk and along the curb line while city crews redirected overnight traffic.
Police said they are working to determine whether the pedestrian signal had been activated at the time of the collision and whether the victim had the right of way. No descriptions of the two vehicles that left were immediately released, and it was not yet clear which of the three impacts caused the fatal injuries. The driver who remained at the location provided a statement and consented to standard checks, police said. Detectives are also examining whether tire impressions, debris patterns or damage seen on the cooperating driver’s vehicle can help reconstruct the order of strikes. The agency said it had not identified any other people who were injured.
South Tower Road, a major north–south route through far southeast Aurora, includes several marked trail crossings that connect neighborhoods to the city’s path network. The Unnamed Creek Trail crossing where the collision occurred has traffic signals and marked lines across the roadway. Serious and fatal auto–pedestrian collisions have drawn sustained attention in the Denver metro area, including Aurora, where police routinely announce enforcement waves around high-crash corridors and ask for tips after hit-and-run incidents. Thursday’s case adds to a series of investigations this year in which detectives relied on neighborhood video, vehicle part numbers and license-plate reader data to track suspect cars.
Detectives said the next steps include pulling any data available from the traffic signal controller at the crossing, seeking high-resolution video from homes and businesses along South Tower Road, and requesting relevant records from nearby medical facilities to narrow the timeline. The coroner will determine the cause and manner of death following an autopsy. Police said they will forward findings to prosecutors once they identify the drivers who fled; potential charges could include leaving the scene of a crash involving death. Officials did not announce a news conference but said updates will be released as major developments occur.
By mid-morning Friday, cones and skid measurements still marked the pavement as commuters moved through alternating closures. A small group paused near the trail sign, watching investigators work. “We’re asking anyone who was in the area around midnight and saw anything unusual to contact us,” Easterwood said. Residents who live along the corridor described steady nighttime traffic and frequent jaywalking by pedestrians moving between subdivisions and the trail, while others noted the crosswalk’s long signal cycle. None reported seeing the initial impact; several said they were awakened by sirens and flashing lights.
As of Saturday, police had not publicly identified the man or released additional details about the two fleeing vehicles. The Traffic Investigations Unit continues to process evidence and collect video; the next expected update will follow the preliminary coroner’s report or the identification of suspect vehicles.
Author note: Last updated November 23, 2025.