5-Year-Old Critically Injured In Hit-And-Run Recovering At Home, Police Search For Driver

CAPITOL HEIGHTS, MD — Three weeks after 5-year-old Denim Smith was critically injured in a hit-and run while riding on his scooter, he's finally home. In fact, doctors call him a miracle child as he's well on his way to making a full recovery after suffering a fractured skull and broken ribs in the crash, his parents say.

The incident happened May 27 around 7:35 p.m. Denim was riding his scooter in the road of his neighborhood, since there aren't sidewalks, near where his family and neighbors had gathered for a Memorial Day party.

A silver Nissan SUV traveling at a high rate of speed blew through a stop sign and crashed into Denim in the intersection of Doppler Street and Balboa Avenue, according to Capitol Heights Police. Denim was found lying in the road several feet from where he was initially hit, according to video footage pulled from a neighbor's Ring camera footage, which Fox 5 shared online.

"That person is real heartless the fact that they didn’t stop or even, you know, see what they hit or what happened. That’s the hard part," Denim's mom Tajaee Jones told Fox 5.

In the video footage, Denim's dad Brian Smith can be seen sprinting to his son and covering him up with his body. Others call 911.

"It was so loud it sounded like a car accident," Smith told Fox 5.

Neighbors who spoke with Fox 5 expressed concern and anger at how people drive in their neighborhood, especially with children outside playing in the summer.

Anyone who recognizes the vehicle is asked to call Capitol Heights Police at 301-420-2444 or PoliceChief@CapitolHeightsmd.gov.