Reddit Comes Through For User Trying To ID Car Part Left Behind In Hit-And-Run

Or at least, Reddit user caverunner17 could. As they shared on the platform, they didn't have much to go on, but the cause was worth some effort.

"Fiancee's uncle involved in hit and run - bumper piece left at scene. Can someone help ID?" caverunner17 asked, with the above picture being all they could provide to work with.

Another user had asked the community to help ID this shard of tail light left behind by a hit-and-run driver.

As Raptor4878 shared, their car had been struck while parked at their apartment complex, and they woke up to this and a few other shards. Apart from the Ford logo and a string of numbers and letters, there wasn't much to go on.

As FloMac08 wrote, that piece of tail light came off a Ford Focus Hatchback (not the one pictured). That allowed Raptor4878 to narrow down the car they were searching for in their apartment complex's parking lot. And yes, Raptor4878 did locate the car — "backed in by the dumpster" — and start up a police report.

That's pretty amazing!

"Police department said it has no marking," caverunner17 reported. So no numbers, no letters, no logo, nothing along those lines to work with. Really, folks just had the shape and the color to go by.

But, considering that caverunner17's uncle was facing a leg amputation due to his injuries in the collision, motivation to track down the perpetrator was not in short supply.

Which is not exactly ideal. It's hard to narrow it down from dozens of possibilities. Just listen to some of the suggestions the community put out: a Honda CRV, Dodge Dart, Volkswagen Passat, Ford Edge, Nissan 350, BMW F-Series, and Chevy Cobalt. That's a hefty list!

One of the more promising suggestions was a Nissan Juke, but the best match for that car was a rear bumper — not the most likely spot to be involved in a hit-and-run.

As one person pointed out, the curve and the paint color leaned in Kia's direction.

But people couldn't seem to quite decide on whether it was a Kia Soul, Rio, Sportage, Optima, or Forte.

"Looks like a Kia Optima, circa 2011," Reddit user seruamen wrote. "The curve upward under the headlight match. The lip under the headlight match. The thickness of the fender flair around the wheel arch match. Angle and length of the edge between bumper lines up with the fender match."

"Close, but I think the grill's sharp angle is too severe from OP's pic," Reddit user thinkingcutlass replied. "You're spot on for the fender flair and lip under the headlight."

That meant it had to be the Forte — a 2011 Kia Forte EX Koup, seruamen specified.

At that point, caverunner17 declared the mystery "likely solved."

The police in Bloomington, Illinois, where the collision had occurred, updated a public appeal for information to show that the part left behind at the scene was from a Kia Forte.

Better still: "The juvenile driver and vehicle were located — the investigation is on-going."

Unfortunately, it's unclear if the investigation resulted in an arrest, but it's still some impressive detective work from the folks on Reddit!