BALTIMORE, MD — A Baltimore family is mourning Eric Browner Jr., a 24-year-old father who died after being struck by a carjacked vehicle near Clifton Park late Friday night. Police say the red Toyota Corolla had been taken earlier from a fast-food restaurant on Harford Road and later lost control near Harford Road and Homestead Street.
The crash happened just before 11 p.m. on Oct. 23, and Browner was walking when he was hit. Loved ones said he suffered catastrophic injuries and no one in the vehicle stopped to help. Now, relatives are urging anyone with information to come forward as detectives work to identify the people believed to have been inside the stolen car.
Police say the stolen Corolla was tied to a carjacking on Harford Road
Baltimore police said the red 2009 Toyota Corolla involved in the deadly crash had been carjacked about half a mile away in the 2000 block of Harford Road. Investigators believe the car was taken from a fast-food restaurant before the fatal hit-and-run occurred.
According to police, four people were inside the vehicle. Officers have released surveillance images and are trying to identify the suspects. Police told WJZ Investigates they believe teenagers were among the people in the car, but they have not publicly identified any of them.
The collision happened at Harford Road and Homestead Street, an area close to Clifton Park. Police have not said what caused the Corolla to lose control, and the investigation remains active.
Family members say Browner was a devoted father and a talented young man
Relatives remember Browner, who was affectionately called “Fatman,” as much more than a victim in a violent crime. His aunt, Ashley Browner, said he was a barber, a musician and, above all, a father who cared deeply about his daughter.
She said he was a young man with goals and ambition who hoped to make a difference through his work and his music. Family members described him as someone who wanted to build something for himself and contribute to his community.
Those closest to him are now trying to preserve that memory as they prepare for his funeral. In their eyes, his life should be remembered for his role as a parent and for the promise they believe he still had.
Witnesses and surveillance images are central to the search for four suspects
Investigators say the people in the stolen Toyota fled after the crash. Police added that two of them later returned to the Corolla to retrieve belongings before leaving again in a gray Nissan Altima. Authorities say no one helped Browner after he was struck.
That detail has intensified the family’s anger. Ashley Browner said the decision to leave someone injured on the road was deeply disturbing and called on the public to help identify the people shown in the surveillance pictures. Police have not said whether any arrests have been made.
The images released by Baltimore police are now a key part of the case, and investigators are hoping someone recognizes the people in them. Officials have not released further details about the passengers’ identities or their exact roles in the events that led to the crash.
Metro Crime Stoppers is offering a six thousand dollar reward for tips
Police say a reward of $6,000 is being offered for information that helps identify the people connected to the stolen Corolla. Anyone who recognizes the individuals in the surveillance images is being asked to contact Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-Lockup.
For Browner’s family, the appeal for tips is about more than an arrest. They say they want accountability for a death they believe never should have happened and answers about why the people in the stolen car kept going after the crash.
Ashley Browner said the family wants the public to speak up if they know who was involved. She said social media has already circulated the pictures, and she hopes that attention helps lead police to the people responsible.
A violent crash adds to a family’s grief as funeral plans begin
The loss has left the Browner family reeling. Ashley Browner said the death feels especially painful because her nephew was a young father whose life centered on his daughter, his work and his future plans.
She also said the broader toll of violent crashes and reckless behavior is becoming too familiar for too many families. In her view, the case reflects a deeper crisis that keeps taking innocent lives and leaving loved ones to pick up the pieces.
As family members spent Monday planning the funeral, they continued to ask for justice and for the public to help identify those involved. For them, remembering Eric Browner Jr. means more than grief; it means keeping his name, his work and his role as a father front and center.
