Investigators say the pedestrian was found along Middlebelt Road near Eldon Street on New Year’s morning.
FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. — Police are investigating a suspected hit-and-run after a 68-year-old man was found unconscious along Middlebelt Road near Eldon Street around 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 1, and later pronounced dead at a hospital, authorities said.
Detectives say the early-morning discovery on a busy north–south corridor has launched a search for the vehicle believed to have left the scene. The man, whose name has not been released, had a last known address in Macomb County. Police believe the crash occurred sometime between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m., a span when holiday traffic was light and temperatures were below freezing. The case is being handled by the Farmington Hills Police Department’s traffic and investigative units. Officials said evidence from the scene and nearby properties is being reviewed as the city begins its first homicide-related inquiry of the new year.
Officers were dispatched after a 911 caller reported a person down on the shoulder of Middlebelt near Eldon, between Nine and Ten Mile roads, shortly before 8 a.m. First responders attempted lifesaving measures before the victim was transported and later died. Investigators marked the area with evidence placards and began canvassing apartments and businesses along the corridor for cameras. Police described the case as “a suspected hit-and-run,” adding that the involved vehicle did not remain at the scene. “This remains an active investigation,” Farmington Hills officials said, noting they are reconstructing the timeline from the overnight hours into dawn on New Year’s Day.
Authorities said preliminary findings point to a pedestrian struck by a vehicle that continued north or south on Middlebelt Road after the impact. The man was believed to have been on foot before the collision; it’s unknown why he was in that area at that hour. A nearby resident told investigators he saw a person near the roadway around 3 a.m., information police are working to verify against camera footage. The city identified the location as Middlebelt and Eldon Street, a stretch lined with apartments, driveways and side streets. Officials said they are checking traffic cameras where available and requested recordings from private systems to determine the vehicle’s make, model and direction of travel.
The corridor has carried heavier construction and maintenance traffic in recent years, though crash totals for the specific intersection were not immediately available Thursday. Farmington Hills patrols regularly monitor Middlebelt between Nine and Ten Mile for speed and lane-change violations. In a separate fatal crash last summer, the department publicly emphasized its practice of collecting surveillance video and witness accounts within hours to preserve details before they fade. Thursday’s response followed a similar playbook: secure the scene, triage, notify the medical examiner, and launch a reconstruction with measurements and photographs to establish the sequence leading to impact.
Police said the Oakland County Medical Examiner’s Office will confirm the man’s identity and cause of death and notify next of kin. Detectives are drafting search requests for nearby camera systems and will issue follow-up bulletins if a suspect vehicle description is confirmed. No arrests or charges had been announced as of Friday morning, Jan. 2. If investigators identify a driver, the case could bring counts that range from failure to stop at the scene of a fatal crash to related traffic offenses; charging decisions would come from the Oakland County Prosecutor’s Office after a review of the reports.
Traffic moved slowly through the residential strip Thursday as officers placed flares and redirected morning commuters. Residents stepped onto porches and into apartment breezeways to watch the scene work. “It’s unsettling to start the year like this,” said one neighbor who spoke on condition of first name only, describing sirens and patrol lights cutting through the early sunlight. Another resident said she saw cruisers checking nearby driveways and lot entrances as detectives knocked on doors and requested video.
As of Friday, police said the investigation remains open while technicians analyze video and physical evidence collected from Middlebelt Road. Officials said they expect to release an update if a vehicle description is confirmed or when the medical examiner finalizes identification, which could come this weekend.
Author note: Last updated January 2, 2026.