PORTLAND, Oregon — A Hillsboro man is recovering in the hospital from serious injuries after he was run over in a hit-and-run crash in the Lloyd District last Friday.
Friends said John Torck was riding his motorcycle on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at roughly 1:45 a.m. on July 22. They said he slowed down near Northeast Lloyd Boulevard to turn left into Dutch Bros when a driver hit him from behind.
Witnesses said the same driver ultimately ran Torck over and fled the scene.
“He has a tire track across his back,” said Torck’s friend, Alan Heintz. “Thankfully he was wearing all of his gear.”
A witness who didn’t want to be identified told KGW that after the crash, the suspect hopped on I-84 East and sped off. They said the driver and at least one passenger were spotted in a dark blue or black four-door sedan with its headlights off.
Security video captured by a nearby business corroborated witness accounts. It also showed sparks flying on the ground as the car pushed the motorcycle several feet.
“This was a felony hit and run,” said Heintz. “This was John going to work, stopping to get coffee and being rear-ended, rammed and run over and basically left for dead in the middle of the street.”
Heintz is asking for the public’s help to find other video of the crash or track down the suspect. He’s asking people who were in the area to check their dashcams and security systems for footage from July 22 around 1:45 a.m.
“We need to catch this person,” said Heintz. “Somebody saw it.”
With multiple broken bones and internal injuries, Heintz said Torck’s recovery will be long and hard. He feels for Torck’s girlfriend and 15-year-old son and hopes the public will donate to help them. He also hopes for justice and safer streets.
“Whether the [driver] was impaired or didn't have insurance, I don't know what the circumstances were,” said Heintz. “But one thing's for sure — it was the wrong decision.”
Anyone with information on what happened was asked to call the Portland Police Bureau and reference case number 22-196036.