Hit and run in Tempe: what to do, how police track drivers, and when to call a hit and run lawyer

Last checked November 8, 2026

Call 911 if anyone is hurt, or Tempe Police at 480-350-8311.1 Every driver in an injury crash must stop.2 Tempe's traffic cameras have helped police find drivers who fled.3 If no one is caught, your own uninsured motorist coverage may pay.4 You generally have 2 years to sue a driver.5

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Road map of Tempe showing Baseline Road and Broadway Road, where city police asked for help or used cameras in recent hit-and-run cases
Tempe police can use city cameras to trace a driver who fled. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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

  1. Get to safety and call 911 if you are hurt. For a crash with no emergency, use Tempe Police's non-emergency line, 480-350-8311.1 Do not chase the car.
  2. While it is fresh, write down or record what you saw: color, body style, part of a plate, which way it went.
  3. Photograph any broken car parts on the road. A piece of bumper can point to a make and year.
  4. Look up. Note every business, apartment, doorbell or traffic camera that could have caught the car.
  5. Tell your own insurer soon, even if you think you will not use it. Many policies have a notice requirement.

Do Tempe Police actually find hit-and-run drivers?

Sometimes, and the city has tools many others lack. Its Real-Time Operations Center links hundreds of traffic, park and facility cameras so police can review footage after a traffic incident.6 In a December 2024 case at Broadway Road and Country Club Road, a teen on her way to school was struck, and center staff used traffic cameras to help identify the vehicle. Officers made an arrest that afternoon.3

A 2025 fatal crash near Rural Road and Lemon Street went much the same way. Detectives used video analysis and license plate identification to find the driver of a Camaro that left the scene.78

Other cases stay open. In September 2026, police asked for help finding a car that hit a 16-year-old girl in the crosswalk at Baseline Road and Calle Los Cerros Drive.9 Anyone with a tip can call 480-350-8311 or text TEMPEPD and the tip to 847411.10 If you are the injured person, give the detective your case number with every message.

What happens to a driver who flees a crash in Arizona?

A driver in a crash that injures or kills someone must stop at once and stay at the scene, even on private property.2 The driver must also give a name, address and registration number and help anyone hurt.11

Fleeing a crash that causes death or serious injury is a class 3 felony, or class 2 if the driver caused it, and other injury crashes are a class 5 felony.12 A criminal case can help you, because it may identify the driver. But it does not pay your bills, and your own claim runs on its own clock.

Who pays if the driver in my Tempe hit and run is never found?

Your own policy may. Uninsured motorist coverage is the main path, and insurers must offer it in writing.13 One trap: if an unknown car caused your crash without touching you, Arizona requires extra proof, such as a witness.4 So if a car ran you off the road, get names and numbers from anyone who stopped.

  • Check your declarations page for uninsured motorist coverage. If you have it, ask whether it applies when you are walking or on a bike.
  • Check the policies of people you live with. Some cover family members in the home.
  • Ask your health insurer how it handles crash bills while the case is open.

Arizona's crime victim compensation program is another option. It does not require that the offender be caught or convicted.14 It is the payer of last resort, so other sources come first.15

How do I get a police report for a Tempe hit and run?

If you were in the crash, the agency must give you a copy when you ask, with some exceptions.16 BuyCrash holds most Tempe reports,17 but reports with criminal issues can be left off, so one tied to an open investigation may not show up there.18 If it does not, ask Records through JustFOIA or by email at [email protected].19 Your copy may list a detective or a case number you will need later.

Who can help me in Tempe while the case is open?

Tempe's CARE 7 program gives free, private support to crime victims, and it is open to residents, students and visitors. The CARE & HOPE line is 480-350-8004.20 The county also lists Tempe's victim services at 480-350-8270.21 Advocates can explain the investigation and your rights as a victim, which is different from an injury claim.

How common are hit and runs around Tempe?

We could not find a count of hit-and-run crashes for Tempe alone. Arizona as a whole had 16,136 in 2024, with 86 people killed and 4,202 hurt.22 The Tempe cases above each involved a person on foot or on a motorcycle and a car that kept going.937

How long do I have after a hit and run in Tempe?

You generally have 2 years to sue the driver.5 Do not wait for police to find someone before you act. Your uninsured motorist policy has its own notice and time rules, so ask your insurer for them in writing today. Under 18? The time limit usually waits until adulthood.23

A hit and run lawyer can help when fault is contested, when no one touched you, or when an insurer says you waited too long. Ask whether they have made uninsured motorist claims in Maricopa County, and how they look for video.

Questions

Can I recover money if no one is ever caught in a Tempe hit and run?

Possibly, through your own uninsured motorist coverage, or the state compensation program.414

How do I send an anonymous tip about a Tempe hit and run?

Text the keyword TEMPEPD and your tip to 847411.10

What if a car forced me off the road but never hit me?

You need extra proof, such as a witness, to claim uninsured motorist coverage in Arizona.4

Is leaving the scene of a crash a felony in Arizona?

Yes, when someone is hurt or killed.12

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Tempe

Hit and run

Arizona

Sources

  1. City of Tempe, Tempe 311, checked 2026-11-08. “For a police non-emergency, please call 480-350-8311.”
  2. 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.”
  3. Tempe Police news release, Dec. 3, 2024, checked 2026-11-08. “quickly began utilizing traffic camera technology to help in identifying the suspect vehicle”
  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. A.R.S. § 12-542, checked 2026-11-08. “within two years after the cause of action accrues”
  6. City of Tempe, Vision Zero, checked 2026-11-08. “so that police can easily review footage to determine what occurred at traffic incidents”
  7. Tempe Police news release, Dec. 3, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “an 18-year-old motorcyclist collided with a self-driving car that was turning”
  8. Tempe Police news release, Dec. 3, 2025, checked 2026-11-08. “Through video analysis, license plate identification, and follow-up investigative work”
  9. Tempe Police news release, Sept. 10, 2026, checked 2026-11-08. “A 16-year-old girl was in the crosswalk when she was struck by the car at Baseline Rd. and Calle Los Cerros Dr.”
  10. Tempe Police news release, Sept. 10, 2026, checked 2026-11-08. “text the keyword TEMPEPD and your tip to 847411”
  11. 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”
  12. 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.”
  13. 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”
  14. Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, checked 2026-11-08. “does not require the apprehension or conviction of an offender”
  15. Arizona Criminal Justice Commission, checked 2026-11-08. “the compensation program is always the payer of last resort”
  16. 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”
  17. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Accident reports approved for public release are available online from November 1, 2021 to the present.”
  18. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “accidents involving criminal reports such as DUIs and fatal traffic accident reports are not available”
  19. Tempe Police, Public Records Request, checked 2026-11-08. “Email to [email protected]”
  20. City of Tempe, CARE 7 Victim Services, checked 2026-11-08. “Call the CARE & HOPE line 480-350-8004”
  21. Maricopa County, Victims Rights, checked 2026-11-08. “Tempe 480-350-8270”
  22. ADOT 2024 Crash Facts, checked 2026-11-08. “Yes 16,136 84 3,321 12,731 86 4,202”
  23. A.R.S. § 12-502, checked 2026-11-08. “the period of such disability shall not be deemed a portion of the period limited for commencement of the action”

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