Man arrested after hit-and-run victim’s smartphone ends up on car roof, helps trace his location

The Yomiuri Shimbun

17:58 JST, January 6, 2023

TAKAMATSU — A 54-year-old man was arrested Friday on suspicion of a hit-and-run in Takamatsu after the victim’s smartphone ended up on the roof of the driver’s car and eventually helped police trace the suspect.

The Takamatsu-Kita Police Station arrested the man on suspicion of driving into an 18-year-old student on a pedestrian crossing in Takamatsu on Thursday night and fleeing the scene.

The student suffered minor injuries to her left leg, the police said.

When the student realized her smartphone was missing, an acquaintance who was at the scene searched for it using a smartphone app.

About 50 minutes later, the app led police officers to a location in the city where they discovered the victim’s smartphone on the roof of the car involved in the accident.

The driver of the vehicle initially denied the allegations, but when the police told him the smartphone was on the car’s roof, he confessed.

The man, who lives in Saga, was back his parents’ home in Kagawa Prefecture, according to the police.