Hit and run in Mesa: how to report it, who pays and when to call a lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a hit and run in Mesa, call 911 if anyone is hurt, or Mesa Police at 480-644-2211, staffed all hours.1 Leaving an injury crash is a felony in Arizona.2 Your own uninsured motorist coverage may pay.3 Reporting within 72 hours keeps victim compensation possible.4

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Road map of Mesa's arterial streets, where the city tracks hit-and-run crashes involving people on foot and on bikes
Report a Mesa hit and run within 72 hours to protect victim aid. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Who is this Mesa hit and run page for?

People who were hit by a driver who took off. If you were the driver and you have been charged, you need a criminal defense lawyer, and this page will not help you.

What should I do right after a hit and run in Mesa?

  1. Call 911 if anyone is hurt. For anything else, Mesa's non-emergency line is 480-644-2211, answered 24 hours a day.1
  2. Write down what you remember of the car: color, make, damage, direction, any part of the plate.
  3. Ask people nearby to stay, or get their names and numbers.
  4. Look up. Stores, gas stations and homes along the arterial may have cameras. Ask the owner to save that footage today.
  5. Report the crash to your own insurer quickly, even if you think you have no coverage.

How do I report a hit and run to Mesa Police?

Use the phone, not the website, in the cases that matter most. Mesa's online report cannot be used for a hit and run where the suspect driver can be identified and you want prosecution. The city says a license plate alone does not count as suspect information.5

Timing changes the response. If a crash that should be reported is called in less than two hours after it happened, an officer is sent to take the report. After that, the call waits for an officer.6 Department policy calls for a full collision report when a hit and run damages a vehicle, injures or kills someone, or happens on a roadway or public alley.7 Private property counts too if there is an injury or a hit and run.8

Will a detective work on my hit and run in Mesa?

It depends on how serious it is. Misdemeanor hit and runs are usually finished by the responding officer and not assigned to a detective, and tougher cases go to the Vehicular Crimes Unit.9 The Traffic Section has six Vehicular Crimes Detectives.10 So do not wait for someone else to find the video.

If you think someone knows who did it, tell them about Silent Witness. Mesa Police uses that program, run by Phoenix Police, and callers stay anonymous through a code number.11 The numbers are 480-948-6377, or 480-837-8446 in Spanish.12

How common are hit and runs in Mesa?

Common enough that the city tracks them for people on foot and on bikes. In 2023, 20 of Mesa's 112 pedestrian crashes and 17 of its 160 bicycle crashes were hit and runs.1314 Statewide in 2024, ADOT counted 16,136 crashes with a hit-and-run driver, with 86 people killed and 4,202 hurt.15 We could not find a city count for all hit and runs in Mesa.

Who pays when the driver in a Mesa hit and run is never found?

SourceWhat to know
Your uninsured motorist coverageInsurers must offer it in writing and add it if you ask,3 so check your declarations page
If the car never touched youYou need extra proof, such as a witness, to use this coverage in Arizona16
Victim CompensationMay help with costs if the conditions below are met4

That no-contact rule catches riders who swerve and crash with no impact, which is one more reason to find a witness at the scene.

Can victim compensation help after a Mesa hit and run?

Maybe. It does not depend on an arrest. Mesa says this help is available whether or not the offender is identified and prosecuted.17 It can cover medical costs, funeral costs, lost wages and counseling.18 You may qualify if the crime was reported within 72 hours and you file within two years of discovering it, along with other conditions.4 Call Victim Compensation at 602-506-4955.4 That program is not the same as a lawsuit, and it does not replace one.

What does Arizona law require of a driver in a crash?

  • Stop at once and stay, even on private property.19
  • Give name, address and vehicle registration number, and help anyone hurt.20
  • Leaving a crash that causes death or serious injury is a class 3 felony, or class 2 if the driver caused it. Other injury crashes are a class 5 felony.2

How do I get my hit and run report and medical records in Mesa?

If you were in the crash, the agency must give you a copy of the full report when you ask, with some exceptions.21 Mesa sells most crash reports online through BuyCrash, with the DR number and crash date.2223 A crash with a death or a related DUI is not online, and you buy that from Mesa Police directly.24 Records is at 480-644-2310.25 Hospital bills go in the same folder. Banner records come through MRO Patient Central.26

You generally have 2 years to sue the driver if one is found.27 Do not count on that if your own policy is involved, because your insurance contract can set its own steps and time limits. Read it or have a lawyer read it.

What should I ask a hit and run lawyer in Mesa?

  • What coverage do I actually have, and what does my policy require me to do?
  • Can your office help find the driver or the video?
  • Should I apply for victim compensation now?
  • What happens if the driver is caught months later?

Questions

Can I report a hit and run online in Mesa?

Not if the suspect driver can be identified and you want prosecution.5 Call 480-644-2211.1

Is a hit and run a felony in Arizona?

Leaving a crash with injury or death is a felony.2

What if the car never touched me?

You need extra proof, such as a witness, to use uninsured motorist coverage.16

Do police always assign a detective to a Mesa hit and run?

No. Misdemeanor cases are usually finished by the responding officer.9

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Mesa

Hit and run

Arizona

Sources

  1. Mesa Police, Report a Non-Emergency Crime Online, checked 2026-11-08. “Our dispatchers are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week”
  2. A.R.S. § 28-661(C)-(D), checked 2026-11-08. “A driver who is involved in an accident resulting in death or serious physical injury as defined in section 13-105 and who fails to stop or to comply with the requirements of section 28-663 is guilty of a class 3 felony, except that if a driver caused the accident the driver is guilty of a class 2 felony. [...] A driver who is involved in an accident resulting in an injury other than death or serious physical injury as defined in section 13-105 and who fails to stop or to comply with the requirements of section 28-663 is guilty of a class 5 felony.”
  3. A.R.S. § 20-259.01(A), checked 2026-11-08. “Every insurer writing automobile liability or motor vehicle liability policies shall make available to the named insured thereunder and by written notice offer the named insured and at the request of the named insured shall include within the policy uninsured motorist coverage”
  4. Mesa Police, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-08. “the crime was reported within 72 hours;”
  5. Mesa Police, Report a Non-Emergency Crime Online, checked 2026-11-08. “A hit and run collision, where the suspect driver can be identified, and the victim desires prosecution [license plates are not suspect information]”
  6. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report is delayed less than two hours from the time of occurrence and is a reportable collision, a member is dispatched to take a report.”
  7. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “its entirety for hit and run accidents which: 1. Result in damage to a vehicle. 2. Result in injury to or death of any person.”
  8. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “Death or injury to any person. 2. Reckless driving. 3. Impairment of an operator due to alcohol and/or drugs. [ALEAP 23.1D] 4. Property damage in excess of $5,000.00. 5. Hit and run.”
  9. Mesa Police, Policy 2.7.105 Traffic Collision Investigations, checked 2026-11-08. “misdemeanor Hit and Run cases will be completed by the investigating officer/PSO and will not be assigned to a detective.”
  10. Mesa Police, Traffic Section, checked 2026-11-08. “6 DUI Officers and 6 Vehicular Crimes Detectives”
  11. Mesa Police, Policy 3.1.135 Silent Witness Program, checked 2026-11-08. “utilizes the "Silent Witness" program operated by the Phoenix Police Department.”
  12. Mesa Police, Policy 3.1.135 Silent Witness Program, checked 2026-11-08. “The Silent Witness telephone number is 480-948-6377 (W-I-T-N-E-S-S); 480- 837-8446 (T-E-S-T-I-G-O)”
  13. City of Mesa, 2023 Crash Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Of the 112 pedestrian crashes within Mesa in 2023, 20 were reported as hit and run collisions.”
  14. City of Mesa, 2023 Crash Report, checked 2026-11-08. “Of the 160 bicycle crashes within Mesa in 2023, 17 were reported as hit and run collisions.”
  15. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “| Yes | 16,136 | 84 | 3,321 | 12,731 | 86 | 4,202 |”
  16. A.R.S. § 20-259.01(M), checked 2026-11-08. “If an insured makes a bodily injury or death claim under uninsured or underinsured motorist coverage based on an accident that involved an unidentified motor vehicle and no physical contact with the motor vehicle occurred, the insured shall provide corroboration that the unidentified motor vehicle caused the accident.”
  17. Mesa Police, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-08. “this compensation is available whether or not the criminal is identified and prosecuted.”
  18. Mesa Police, Victim Services, checked 2026-11-08. “These include medical expenses, funeral costs, lost wages, and mental health counseling.”
  19. A.R.S. § 28-661(A), checked 2026-11-08. “The driver of a vehicle involved in an accident on public or private property resulting in injury to or death of a person shall: 1. Immediately stop the vehicle at the scene of the accident or as close to the accident scene as possible but shall immediately return to the accident scene.”
  20. A.R.S. § 28-663(A), checked 2026-11-08. “1. Give the driver's name and address and the registration number of the vehicle the driver is driving. [...] 3. Render reasonable assistance to a person injured in the accident”
  21. A.R.S. § 28-667(C)(6)(a), checked 2026-11-08. “on request shall provide a copy of the unredacted report to the following: (a) A person who is involved in the accident”
  22. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Non-criminal accident reports are available online from February 24, 2009 to present.”
  23. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Require a Mesa Police Department departmental report number (DR#), date of accident and a valid credit card”
  24. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “Crashes can be obtained directly through Mesa Police for $5.00”
  25. Mesa Police, Criminal Justice Information Division, checked 2026-11-08. “59 S. Hibbert Mesa, AZ 85210”
  26. Banner Health, Patient Medical Records, checked 2026-11-08. “you can request your medical records from any Banner Health hospital, provider office, or urgent care location.”
  27. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”

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