A Pennsylvania man has surrendered to police following a fatal hit-and-run in Philadelphia that claimed the life of 77-year-old Dorothea Cathell, a grandmother remembered fondly by her family and community.

Authorities say Michael F. Harper, 47, turned himself in on Monday, days after he was identified as the suspect in the crash. The incident took place Friday around 5:20 p.m. at 54th Street and Lancaster Avenue in the city’s Overbrook neighborhood.

Cathell had been walking home from ShopRite, pushing a cart filled with Halloween decorations, when Harper allegedly struck her with his black Infiniti Q50. After the impact, police said Harper reversed and fled the scene, later dropping off a passenger at a nearby pizza shop. 

Cathell was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

Dorothea Cathell killed in Philadelphia hit & run by Michael F. Harper.

The crash left Harper’s car with a shattered windshield and a dented hood. Police located the damaged vehicle at an auto repair shop on Monday and impounded it as part of the investigation.

That same day, Harper turned himself in at Philadelphia Police Department’s 1st District headquarters. He now faces multiple charges, including homicide by vehicle while DUI, homicide by vehicle, leaving the scene of a fatal accident, reckless endangerment, and reckless driving.

Cathell’s family described her as the heart of her household and community. “He took a mother, grandmother, aunt. Everybody in the neighborhood loved Dorothea Cathell,” said her son, Ralph Cathell. Her sister, Mary Miles, added: “To the world, she was just a person, but to her family, she was the world.”

A roadside memorial has since grown at the site of the crash, with Cathell’s crushed shopping cart placed there as a tribute to the beloved grandmother.