East Providence woman dies in hit and run accident

Occurred at intersection of Roger Williams and Newport Avenues

EastBayRI.com ·

EAST PROVIDENCE — A city woman was struck and killed during a hit-and-run accident Monday evening, Aug. 21, at the intersection of Roger Williams and Newport Avenues in Rumford.

The East Providence Police Department issued a press release in the early hours of August 22, announcing the death of a woman believed to be around 40 years of age.

The incident occurred at approximately 7:53 p.m. The department began to receive 911 calls regarding a pedestrian struck on Newport Avenue, near the intersection of Roger Williams Avenue. Witnesses told dispatch personnel that the striking vehicle, a red colored SUV, had fled the scene after striking the pedestrian.

Responding officers and fire personnel located a female victim on the ground, unconscious. Emergency personnel began administering first aid to the female and she was transported to RI Hospital. A short time after arriving at Rhode Island Hospital, the female was pronounced deceased.

Members of the East Providence Police Traffic Reconstruction Team and the Detective Division responded to process the scene and begin a search for the suspect vehicle. One of the witnesses to the accident was able to get the registration number off of the fleeing suspect vehicle. The registration showed the vehicle to be a rental.

Further investigation revealed that the suspect vehicle had already been returned to the rental agency and another vehicle obtained by the suspect. Contact was made with the suspect and a short time later he turned himself in to the East Providence Police. The suspect vehicle, was located at a rental agency in Warwick.

The suspect is identified as Paul Newman, age 53, of Jacksonville, Fla., and he was scheduled to be arraigned in Sixth District Court Tuesday, Aug. 22, on the charge of Leaving the Scene of an Accident Death Resulting.