Hit and run in Phoenix, AZ: who to call, how to find the driver, and who pays

Last checked November 8, 2026

After a hit and run on a Phoenix street, call 911, or Phoenix Police at 602-262-6151 if nobody is hurt.12 Anyone who saw it can tip Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS, or 480-TESTIGO in Spanish.3 If the driver is never found, your own uninsured motorist coverage may be how you get paid.4

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Road map of Phoenix showing city streets, where the city's 2024 summary counted 3,765 hit-and-run collisions
Phoenix logged 3,765 hit-and-run collisions in 2024. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

How common are hit-and-runs in Phoenix, AZ?

Very common. The city's 2024 traffic summary counted 3,765 hit-and-run collisions.5 That is roughly one in six of the 23,676 collisions in the same report.5

Across Arizona in 2024, ADOT recorded 16,136 hit-and-run crashes. They killed 86 people and injured 4,202.6 With that many cases, give the police something specific to work with: a plate number, a video or a witness.

What should you do in the first hour after a hit and run in Phoenix?

  1. Get to safety and call 911 if anyone is hurt. Do not chase the other car.
  2. Write down everything while it is fresh: color, make, part of the plate, direction of travel, any damage or bumper stickers.
  3. Look around for witnesses, and for doorbell or store cameras. Ask people for a phone number before they leave.
  4. Make the report. On a Phoenix street, that is Phoenix Police.1 On a freeway, it is DPS.7 On county land outside a city, it is the Sheriff.8
  5. Get checked by a doctor the same day. Keep the discharge papers.
  6. Call your own insurer and say the driver left. Many policies set their own deadline for telling them, so check yours today.

How can someone send a tip about a Phoenix hit and run?

Silent Witness takes tips by phone or online. The numbers are 480-WITNESS (480-948-6377) and 1-800-343-TIPS, and in Spanish 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446).3 If you know who did it, give that to the police, not to the driver. Do not confront anyone yourself.

A small detail can be enough to find a car. If you later spot the same car or find video, call the detective assigned to your case, if there is one, or the non-emergency line, 602-262-6151.2

Who pays if the driver in a Phoenix hit and run is never found?

Usually you look to your own policy. Arizona insurers have to offer uninsured motorist coverage in writing and add it if you ask.9 A driver who cannot be found is often handled like one with no insurance, but it depends on your policy wording.

What happenedWhat you may need
The car hit you and drove offThe police report and your policy's claim steps
The car never touched you, but forced you off the roadExtra proof, such as a witness4
You did not buy uninsured coverageLook at health coverage and any collision coverage on your policy
Police find the driver laterA claim against that driver and their insurer, generally within 2 years10

A no-contact crash is where cases fall apart most easily. If a car ran you off the road without touching you, find the witness now. Waiting can make it impossible.

Is hit and run a crime in Phoenix?

Yes, and a serious one. A driver in any crash that injures or kills someone must stop at once and stay, even on private property.11 The driver must also give a name, address and registration number, and help anyone who is hurt.12 Leaving a crash that causes death or serious injury is a class 3 felony, or class 2 if that driver caused the crash.13

A criminal case and a money claim are separate. A driver can be charged and you may still need your own claim to pay for your care. If you are the person accused of leaving, you need a criminal defense lawyer, which this page does not cover.

How do you get the police report for a hit and run in Phoenix?

If you were in the crash, the agency must give you a copy of the full report when you ask, with some exceptions.14 An open investigation can slow things down, and Phoenix does not publish a fixed wait.15 Ask through the portal, or at the Public Record and Services Bureau, 100 W. Washington St., 602-534-1127.1617 For a freeway crash, DPS asks you to wait at least 14 days before checking.18

How long do you have after a hit and run in Phoenix?

Generally 2 years if you end up suing the driver.10 If the car was a city, county or Valley Metro vehicle, a claim is due in 180 days.19 Your insurance claim runs on its own clock, so call early. Arizona still lets you recover if you were partly at fault, with your award reduced by your share.20

Questions

What do I do if someone hit my parked car in Phoenix and left?

Take photos, look for cameras, and report it to Phoenix Police. The non-emergency line is 602-262-6151.2

Does insurance cover a hit and run in Arizona?

It can, if you bought uninsured motorist coverage. If no car touched you, you need extra proof, such as a witness.4

Is it a felony to hit and run in Phoenix?

If someone is hurt or killed, yes.13

Can I give a tip about a hit and run in Spanish?

Yes. Silent Witness has a Spanish line, 480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446).3

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Phoenix

Hit and run

Arizona

Sources

  1. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “If the report you are requesting was the result of a collision that occurred on a town, city or county road, contact the law enforcement agency in that jurisdiction.”
  2. City of Phoenix, Contact the Phoenix Police Department, checked 2026-11-08. “Non-Emergency - 602-262-6151”
  3. City of Phoenix, Contact the Phoenix Police Department, checked 2026-11-08. “480-TESTIGO (480-837-8446) (en español)”
  4. 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.”
  5. City of Phoenix, 2024 Traffic Collision Summary (July 2025), checked 2026-11-08. “Total Hit and Runs 3,765”
  6. ADOT, 2024 Arizona Motor Vehicle Crash Facts (copy on phoenix.gov), checked 2026-11-08. “Yes 16,136 84 3,321 12,731 86 4,202”
  7. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “maintains records for collisions (accidents) that were investigated by DPS Troopers occurring on an Interstate or State Highway”
  8. Maricopa County Sheriff's Office, Report Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Unincorporated areas of Maricopa County (jurisdiction of the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office)”
  9. 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”
  10. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  11. 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.”
  12. 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”
  13. 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.”
  14. 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”
  15. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Various factors affect processing time including the request size, complexity, and nature of the records sought.”
  16. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “The following 10 options are available on the portal to submit Public Record requests:”
  17. phoenix.gov, checked 2026-11-08. “Public Record and Services Bureau 100 W. Washington St. Phoenix, AZ 85003”
  18. Arizona DPS, Request Records, checked 2026-11-08. “Please wait at least 14 days to check on report availability”
  19. Arizona Revised Statutes 12-821.01, checked 2026-11-08. “within one hundred eighty days after the cause of action accrues”
  20. A.R.S. § 12-2505, checked 2026-11-08. “the claimant's action is not barred, but the full damages shall be reduced in proportion to the relative degree of the claimant's fault”

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