A day of merriment ended in tragedy over the weekend when a man dressed in a Santa suit was hit and killed on a busy interstate in Philadelphia.
Adam Herr, 24, was walking along I-95 in the Fishtown area of Philadelphia when a passing car struck and killed the Lebanon, Pa. native.
The victim's father, Dennis Herr, told the Daily News that his son was in the city for the annual Running of the Santas Saturday.
Race officials could not confirm his participation. The approxiately 2,000 people who signed up for the event on-site Saturday morning did not have to provide contact information to race, a Running of the Santas spokesman said.
A friend filed a missing person report for Adam after he left the group he was eating dinner with after the race, Dennis Herr said.
It is unclear how Herr ended up on I-95.
He was struck on the highway around 10:30 p.m. He was taken to Hahnemann Hospital where he was pronounced dead upon arrival.
The driver of the car that hit him, 27-year-old Augustine Bangura, was charged with driving under the influence and homicide by motor vehicle.
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Police said when they were questioning the driver about the accident, a state trooper smelled a strong odor of marijuana. Police say after Bangura failed sobriety tests they gave him in the field, they took the Philadelphia man to get blood drawn and then charged him.
"We're of a strong faith and we know anger is not going to bring Adam back," Dennis Herr said.
Transportation company Uber, one of the race sponsors, had offered free cab rides to participants after the race.
