TAMPA, Fla. – Tampa police are working to identify a man who died late Thursday night after being struck by a car on West Swann Avenue. The incident, which occurred around 10:37 pm on April 16, 2026, has left investigators searching for answers as to why the victim was in the roadway.
According to preliminary reports from the Tampa Police Department, the man was located in the westbound travel lanes just east of South Gomez Avenue. Officers noted that he was seated directly on the pavement in a particularly dark, unlit stretch of the road.
At that same time, a 25-year-old woman behind the wheel of a white 2017 Volkswagen Passat was heading west. Police stated that because of the poor lighting and the man’s position in the middle of the street, the driver did not see him until it was too late to react.
The front of her vehicle struck the man, and despite the arrival of emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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The driver stopped immediately and stayed with the victim until authorities arrived. Investigators confirmed she has been “fully cooperative with law enforcement” throughout the night.
After an initial probe, detectives determined that neither speeding nor any form of impairment played a role in the crash. As a result, the driver was not cited, and officials said criminal charges are not expected.
Traffic Homicide Investigators are currently focused on the difficult task of identifying the man and tracking down his family members. The investigation remains open as police look into the circumstances that led the man to be seated in the roadway.
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