Sheriff’s Investigators Seize Car Driven in New Year’s Day Hit and Run Pedestrian Fatality in Oakland Township
Oakland Township, MI – Jan 5, 2023 – Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Investigators
today seized a late model white BMW sedan which they believe struck and killed Benjamin Kable, 22, a Shelby
Township man early Sunday morning (New Year's Day) in Oakland Township.
The BMW 3-Series sedan was found at a residence not far from the crash scene at Rochester
Road and Whims Lane in Oakland Township. Investigators also identified an Oakland Township
resident as person of interest in the crash. No arrests have been made as the case remains
under investigation.
Sheriff Michael Bouchard credited a concerned citizen with providing important information
which led to the seizure of the vehicle.
“I knew the community would do everything they could to help us locate the driver involved in
this tragic death,” Bouchard said. “We greatly appreciate when people step up and I am
optimistic that we are headed down the right path.”
The crash happened at approximately 5:49 a.m. Sunday and took the life of 22-year-old
Benjamin Kable. Investigators believed a woman of Asian descent and in her mid-30s was
operating a light-colored BMW 3-Series sedan from model years 2016 to 2018 when it struck
Kable, who was a pedestrian in the southbound lane of Rochester Road. Kable was pronounced
dead at the scene. It was not known if he was standing or walking in the roadway when he was
hit. The speed limit where the crash occurred is 50 mph.
Investigators said the vehicle involved likely had damage to its hood and front bumper, was
missing the right front grille and a portion of the left front grille. The driver of the BMW fled the
scene after the crash
Image of the 2017 BMW-3 series sedan illustrates the approximate year, color and style of vehicle investigators believe was involved in the crash.
Drug and alcohol use by either the driver or Kable was unknown. The incident is being handled
by the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit.
Area of Hit and Run: Rochester Road south of Whims Lane
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January 5, 2023, Oakland County Sheriff and Rochester.Life staff