Crimestoppers seeks red Chevrolet HHR in Jacksonville hit-and-run

Morgan-Scott-Cass Crimestoppers is asking Jacksonville residents to watch for a red Chevrolet HHR tied to a hit-and-run at a business in the 800 block of West Morton, one of the city’s busier commercial stretches. The crash happened about 10 p.m. last Friday, and the parked vehicle was struck before the HHR fled the scene.

The location matters because West Morton runs through a part of Jacksonville where traffic, storefront parking lots and evening business activity overlap. A vehicle that left that area with fresh damage could still be in the neighborhood, on a side street or parked where someone who drives the route daily might notice it now. Police described the driver as a heavy-set white male, adding another detail that could help narrow the search.

The vehicle itself is specific enough to stand out. WLDS/WEAI Radio reported that HHR stands for Heritage High Roof and described the Chevrolet HHR as a retro-styled, high-roofed, five-door, five-passenger station wagon. That shape, combined with the red color, may help anyone who saw the vehicle in traffic, in a lot or pulled off near West Morton connect it to the collision.

Jacksonville police list Crime Stoppers of Morgan, Scott & Cass Counties as a useful contact for the case at (217) 243-7300. Crime Stoppers says tips are anonymous and that it never asks for a tipster’s name. The program also says cash rewards are available when information leads to arrests, property recovery or drug seizures.

The Jacksonville Police Department is based at 200 West Douglas Avenue in Jacksonville, and local authorities are treating the hit-and-run as a public-safety matter that depends on community memory. A damaged red HHR, especially one seen after 10 p.m. Friday near West Morton, could be the link investigators need to identify the driver and account for the property damage left behind.