Hit-And-Run That Killed 13-Year-Old Long Island Boy Still Unsolved 4 Years Later

The teen, who only celebrated his 13th birthday days before, died from his injuries from the Oct. 12, 2022 crash, police said.

By Peggy Spellman Hoey, Patch Staff

Oct 14, 2026 9:13 AM EDT

Monday marked four years since 13-year-old Tyler Phillips was fatally struck while walking on a Long Island roadway with his sister, and his case remains unsolved, Suffolk police told Patch. (Suffolk County Police Department)

LONG ISLAND, NY — Monday marked four years since 13-year-old Tyler Phillips was fatally struck while walking on a Long Island roadway with his sister, and his case still remains unsolved, Suffolk police told Patch.

The teen, who had only celebrated his 13th birthday, died from injuries he sustained when he and his sister were struck in a hit-and-run crash on Granny Road in Coram on Oct. 12, 2022, according to police.

The teen's mother has said that Phillips pushed his sister out of the way of the oncoming car, and she only suffered minor injuries.

Phillips died days later at Stony Brook University Hospital.

In a previous Facebook post, Phillips' mother described him as a "hero."

"My baby boy is a hero ... lots of love," she wrote. "I miss him. There's no words that can describe on how I feel."

In the weeks after the crash, former Police Commissioner Rodney Harrison announced a checkpoint seeking information on the driver.

The goal was to encourage anyone who has information about the crash "to come forward and speak with detectives," police said at the time.

Crime Stoppers has also offered a fast cash reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest in the case. It would be issued within seven days of an arrest, police said.

But despite increasing the odds of making a break in the case by offering a reward, investigators have searched for the driver of the car that struck the pair, but with no results.

Police said a vehicle traveling westbound on Granny Road in Coram struck Phillips and his sister as they walked in a bike lane around 7:30 p.m.

Investigators believe the vehicle that sped away from the deadly wreck was a dark-colored 2005 to 2009 Chevrolet Equinox. Its front passenger headlight was damaged, as well as a passenger bumper, and the side-view front passenger mirror was broken, police said.

Detectives are encouraging anyone with information about the crash to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-TIPS.