The internet is full of silly, fun and often ridiculous stuff, but it’s also an incredibly powerful tool. So powerful in fact, that police recently elicited the internet’s help in order to solve a fatal hit & run accident. The mangled bicycle you see above is evidence of the violence of the accident.
The accident happened Thursday, August 9th. A cyclist was struck and killed by an unknown vehicle in Eatonville, Washington. With very little in the way of evidence to go on, the detectives shared two photos to the internet in hopes that someone would be able to help. This second photo quickly found its way to the sub-Reddit “What is this thing,” where it was identified by user JeffsNuts:
JeffsNuts not only identified the unknown part, to lend credibility, he also explained how he knew what it was in detail.
Twitter With the help of… ahem… JeffsNuts, and an anonymous tip, Eatonville officers were able to track down the vehicle, a 1986 Chevy K-10, and make an arrest. The internet was justifiably impressed with Jeff and the collective powers of the WWW and shared their thoughts.
Our condolences go out to the family of the individual killed in the accident. This really just goes to show what we can get done when civilians and law enforcement work together. Great job to the interwebs and the officers all around. Keep up the good, positive work.
(h/t)
