Pensioner ‘carried on roof of car for up to a mile’ and killed in crash

Three men have been arrested in connection with the crash

07:26, 31 Dec 2025

Three men have been arrested after a pedestrian in his 80s died after being hit by a car and carried on top of it for as much a mile. Police said the man was struck by a grey Mercedes and carried an unspecified distance following an initial collision which happened on the A289 Gads Hill in Gillingham, Kent, just after 12pm on Monday.

The man was found on Grange Road in the Medway town, potentially almost a mile or more from where he was hit.

Kent Police said the car was found nearby and the two occupants fled on foot.

Ralph Belmonte, a Grange Road resident of 47 years, said a postman discovered the body on the road after having mistaken it for a dummy strapped to the roof of a driving car.

Mr Belmonte told the Press Association: "(The postman) saw what he thought was a dummy on top of a vehicle and didn't think anything of it.

"It was only on his return to drop the rest of the mail off that he saw it on the road and approached it thinking that it might have been a dummy and it could create a problem, an accident.

"And as he went to turn (it) over he realised it was actually a body."

Emergency services responded "very, very quickly", the 69-year-old retiree said.

He added: "All of Medway turned up really. You could be looking at 20 vehicles: unmarked cars, police cars, ambulances, paramedics, you name it."

Mr Belmonte said: "It's as safe as anybody's area, really, until something like this happens, you know - everything's safe until becomes unsafe, really.

"It's not an area known for, you know, high crime rate, but it can happen anywhere."

Detectives investigating the crash released CCTV images which showed two hooded men dressed in dark clothing on a pavement on foot, with one appearing to be running while carrying a number plate.

South East Coast Ambulance paramedics treated the male pedestrian at the scene but he later died, the force said.

A 29-year-old man from the nearby town of Chatham and a 28-year-old man of no fixed address were arrested over the crash later the same day and are being questioned in custody.

A third man, 28, from Edgware, north-west London, was arrested on Tuesday and remains in custody, the force said.

Detective Inspector Zoe Wilczek of Kent Police's serious collision investigation unit said the force is continuing to appeal for witnesses.

"We would like to thank all those who have assisted our investigation so far," Ms Wilczek said.

"We are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, or saw the vehicle or pedestrian prior to the collision, to contact us.

"We're also asking anyone who may have caught any part of the incident on their dashcams and CCTV, and has not yet got in touch with us, to do so."

Anyone with information is asked to call 01622 798538 or email [email protected], quoting reference EW/LB/093/25.

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