An alleged hit-and-run has left a pedestrian in hospital, a driver facing charges and the woman who led police to the suspect nowhere to be found.
Officers are looking for the mystery woman partly so they can extend their gratitude, and partly because they want her help piecing the incident together.
The accident happened shortly before 11:30 p.m. Thursday, when a southbound Honda Civic hit a 37-year-old man on Mount Pleasant Road, just north of Bloor Street East, police said.
The man, who lives in the area, suffered life-threatening spinal cord injuries.
Witnesses told officers the vehicle left the scene, but the quick-thinking woman drove after it. She jotted down a licence plate number and a description of the driver, then returned to the scene of the accident, where she passed the information along to a bystander who was on the phone with 911.
Using the licence plate, police tracked the vehicle down and arrested a 49-year-old man. He is charged with failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
Police are still reconstructing the collision to determine whether he will be charged with anything else. They are hoping the woman witnessed the incident and can help them.
While bystanders often come forward to help police in such situations, officers said it's unusual to have someone who helps them to this degree.
"For us to have someone who's actually done it properly - we do want to thank her for it and we want her to come forward," said Constable Hugh Smith of the Traffic Services Unit.
Adrian Morrow