Questions linger regarding Kennedy Township fatal hit-and-run
A month has passed since a 72-year-old Stowe Township man was struck and killed in a hit-and-run incident in Kennedy Township, and multiple questions remain unanswered.
Shortly after midnight on Aug. 14, Allegheny County 911 was notified of a man down on the roadway in the 1600 block of Pine Hollow Road. The man was later identified as Wayne McGinley, and a report from the county Medical Examiner indicated that he died after being struck by a moving vehicle.
County police said McGinley was discovered by a township police officer on patrol and taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead roughly half an hour after the initial 911 call came in at 12:15 a.m.
Three days later, on Aug. 17, county police reported that detectives had identified and recovered the vehicle involved in the incident and the driver also had been identified.
But now, a month after the incident, the driver’s identity has yet to be released, and no announcement has been made regarding whether criminal charges will be filed.
The uncertainty has prompted people to take to social media and wonder why more information hasn’t been released.
“I find that odd and disturbing!” one person posted on Facebook.
Even family members are concerned about the lack of information that’s been forthcoming. Erin Altenbaugh, who is McGinley’s niece, said her family has been kept in the dark regarding a lot of the information surrounding the investigation.
“We still do not even know the name of the person who hit Wayne, as we have been told the investigation is still pending,” Altenbaugh wrote in a message to the Gazette.
“From what our family understands, the person who hit Wayne, ran over his body, left the scene of the accident, abandoned the vehicle, and then waited six days before turning herself in with an attorney has still not been charged,” Altenbaugh wrote.
County police spokesperson Jim Madalinsky said his department had turned over its investigation to the district attorney’s office for a determination on potential charges, and that’s why the driver’s name has yet to be released to the public.
When asked if county police recommend to the district attorney that charges should or should not be filed, based on their investigation, Madalinsky said that there are always discussions as part of an ongoing investigation.
“But, generally speaking, detectives do not recommend whether to pursue charges,” Madalinsky said. “The cases are presented to the district attorney’s office to make those determinations.”
Rebecca Spangler, first assistant and chief of staff of the county district attorney’s office, said the McGinley matter remains under active investigation and her office is currently awaiting reports and investigative evidence from county police.
“In general, our office does not reveal the name of any individuals involved in active investigations to maintain the integrity of the investigation,” Spangler wrote in an emailed statement.
“Fatal accident investigations take time and cannot be rushed. A thorough investigation must be completed before a determination can be made. After completing the review our office will make a final determination.”
The delay in making that determination was a topic of discussion recently at Mickey’s Place, a bar and restaurant located in the same block of Pine Hollow Road where McGinley was discovered around 12:15 a.m. Aug. 14.
The word “odd” came up again among one of a handful of patrons in one of the establishment’s bars.
“People want to know why (authorities) haven’t released the name of the suspect,” one patron said. “They have the car but they’re not releasing the name.
“It’s really odd.”
McGinley was a regular customer at the bar, but fellow customers and the bartender all said he favored soft drinks to alcoholic beverages.
One patron who said he would see McGinley often at Mickey’s Place noted that – sadly -- he was not surprised to hear McGinley had been struck by a car, in part because of the fact that he was often walking along Pine Hollow Road and also a physical malady affected McGinley’s equilibrium and left him with a bit of an unsteady gate.
“From what he told me, he had a stroke at some point, and he had trouble walking,” he said. “He amazed me, actually. He walked everywhere.”
But he said he was surprised that McGinley was found so late at night because generally McGinley was only out and about during the day – an opinion shared by others in the bar.
“Even when I was drinking, I never saw him out after midnight,” another patron said. “It was always earlier in the day.”
Another patron said that on the days Mickey’s opened at noon (Wednesday through Sunday), McGinley would be there as early as 8 a.m.
“In fact, the bench out front was put there for him to sit and wait for this place to open,” the patron said. “He was just a man who went somewhere just to be around people.”
Stowe Township resident Wayne McGinley, who was killed in a hit-and-run incident last month on Pine Hollow Road, would often sit on this bench in front of Mickey's Place and wait for it to open. (Photo by Frank Garland)
One of the bartenders added, “He was in here every day, pretty much. It’s weird opening (the bar) and he’s not here waiting.”
Altenbaugh said her family is “desperately” hoping that justice will be served.
“No one should ever have to experience a tragedy like this, and it is heartbreaking and truly sickening to think about what Wayne endured in his final moments,” she wrote. “We just want answers, accountability and justice for him and for our family.”
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