BMW enthusiast's tip credited for solving hit-and-run March 31st, 2009 @ 10:00pm By Alex Cabrero
SALT
LAKE CITY -- Detectives trying to solve a hit-and-run bicycle case say
one man's hobby helped them crack the case wide open. Investigators
knew they were looking for a BMW, they just didn't know which model
until Jeff Phillips gave them a call.
Phillips spoke for the first time Tuesday to KSL 5 News.
Without his help, investigators admit they still might be trying to
solve this case. He knew a BMW with a dual exhaust is an Alpine white
335i model made in only the past couple of years.
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If he had been paid for all the hours spent studying BMWs, Phillips says he just might be able to buy the whole company.
"I don't know how I know these things, I just do," he said. "Their
design, their engines; just everything about them is amazing."
So two weeks ago, when he saw a BMW speeding away from a
hit-and-run bicycle accident at Wasatch Boulevard and 6200 South, he
knew right away it was a 335i.
"That specific car is a twin-turbo engine. It has two exhausts
out the back. The normally naturally-aspirated ones only come out the
left side," Phillips explained.
But he really didn't think much about it because several
drivers had already pulled over to help. Later, while on Facebook, one
of his BMW friends wrote about how he hopes someone catches the guy.
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Phillips
wrote back that he saw the car and knows it's a 335i. His friend, who
is also a sergeant with the Summit County Sheriff's Office, told him to
call detectives right away.
"Even if it's something small you think you saw, bring it forward. If
it's repeat information, we welcome it," Sgt. John Lange said.
Lange helped Phillips get in touch with Salt Lake County detectives. A few days later, http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=5975464 - 28-year-old Nicholas Murdock was arrested for the hit-and-run; his BMW was exactly what Phillips said it would be.
Detectives say Phillips' tip cracked the case.
"Makes me feel really good, and I'm really glad that they caught him.
And I hope the guy he hit turns out OK and is well soon," Phillips
said.
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That
bicyclist is doing better. Murdock, the man arrested, is facing several
charges, including leaving the scene of an accident.
Phillips says now when his friends or family members ask him
why he studies BMW's so much, he can point to this case and say: You
never know.
ksl.com
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