LINDENWOLD — An SUV fatally struck a homeless man here, then dragged him nearly a mile to Stratford early Wednesday, according to police officials.
The victim, 65-year-old Edward Calengelo Jr., was hit about 6:45 a.m. on Laurel Road near the Chadwick Village apartments, said Camden County Prosecutor's Office spokesman Jason Laughlin.
The motorist, whose name was not released, said he wasn't aware of hitting the man, Laughlin said. The driver continued along Laurel Road until he noticed his vehicle acting sluggish and stopped near the Warwick Road intersection, Laughlin said.
The motorist then discovered the man's mutilated body beneath his Ford Edge, and called police.
A narrow blood stain was also visible along the stretch of road where Calengelo was dragged.
An investigation is continuing, but Laughlin said it did not appear the driver would face charges.
"There is nothing immediate to suggest anything criminal happened," he said.
As of Wednesday night officials had few details to explain how the incident unfolded. There was little evidence of a hard impact between the car and the victim, Laughlin said.
An autopsy attributed Calengelo's death to the impact and dragging, Laughlin said.
That stretch of Laurel Road, with a 25 mph speed limit, sees about 25 traffic accidents each year, Laughlin said. The road rolls over several small inclines and passes through two intersections with signal lights between the initial impact scene, near the Chews Landing Road intersection, and Warwick Road.
Chadwick Village Apartments property manager Lorraine Priest said people regularly walk across the road to reach several drugstores near the impact site.
However, she said she does not believe the road is especially dangerous to cross. A pedestrian crosswalk is marked across from the apartment complex as well as the nearby intersection.
Ram Kumar, who manages a Citgo gas station at the intersection, said the road was blocked for about two hours as police investigated.
Kumar said the road is usually busy in the morning as motorists travel between the White Horse and Black Horse pikes.
Reach George Mast at (856) 486-2407 or gmast@camden.gannett.com.
