Third man arrested after pedestrian dies in Gillingham crash

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.

Kent Police said the man was struck by a grey Mercedes estate on the A289 Gads Hill, in Gillingham, on Monday and carried for an unspecified distance.

A postman is said to have found the man’s body in Grange Road before the vehicle was later discovered in Eastcourt Lane.

A man, 29, from Chatham, and another man, 28, of no fixed address, were arrested the same day. On Tuesday, a third man, 28, from Edgware in north-west London, was also arrested in connection with the incident.

Police said the two occupants of the Mercedes had fled on foot.

Ralph Belmonte, a resident of Grange Road for 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.

“It was only on his return to drop the rest of the mail off that he saw [the body] on the road and approached it thinking that it might have been a dummy and it could create a problem, an accident,” Mr Belmonte said.

“And as he went to turn it over, he realised it was actually a body.”

He added: “It’s as safe as anybody’s area really, until something like this happens, you know – everything’s safe until becomes unsafe.

“It’s not an area known for 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 Service paramedics treated the pedestrian at the scene but he later died, a spokesperson said.

Det Insp Zoe Wilczek, of Kent Police’s serious collision investigation unit, said the force was continuing to appeal for witnesses.

“We would like to thank all those who have assisted our investigation so far,” she 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.”