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Triangle Local

Durham, Durham County

Durham: Man, 37, killed on N.C. 147 after stopping to fix a flat tire

Officers were called to the southbound Durham Freeway near Fayetteville Street about 10 p.m. Sunday. Police have not released the man's name. The vehicle that hit him has not been identified.

DevelopingOfficials are still releasing information. We update this story as facts are confirmed.

By Triangle Local Newsroom · Published

The downtown Durham skyline under an overcast sky

File photo: Discover Durham (CC BY 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A 37-year-old man died Sunday night, Oct. 18, 2026, after he was hit on the Durham Freeway. Durham police said he had pulled to the side of the road and gotten out of his vehicle to change a flat tire.Confirmed by Durham Police Department, via WRAL and The News & Observer
  • Officers were called to the southbound lanes of N.C. 147 near Fayetteville Street about 10 p.m., according to a Durham Police Department news release reported by The News & Observer.Confirmed by Durham Police Department news release, via The News & Observer
  • CBS 17, citing the department, said that just before 11:30 p.m. all southbound lanes of N.C. 147 were closed between South Mangum Street and Fayetteville Street because of a crash, and that the lanes later reopened.Confirmed by Durham Police Department, via CBS 17
  • The department's release, as reported by The News & Observer, said the man was hit by an unknown vehicle. His name had not been released as of Monday morning.Confirmed by Durham Police Department news release, via The News & Observer
  • The crash remained under investigation Monday. Anyone with information is asked to call Investigator D.A. Monroe at 919-560-4935, ext. 29450, or Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or durhamcrimestoppers.org.Confirmed by Durham Police Department, via The News & Observer; Durham CrimeStoppers

Still unknown

  • The man's name
  • The vehicle that hit him, and who was driving it
  • Whether anyone will be charged
  • Whether the man was pronounced dead at the scene (The News & Observer cited radio traffic for that; we are not using scanner traffic)

What this means for you

Roads
Southbound N.C. 147 between South Mangum Street and Fayetteville Street was closed for a time Sunday night and later reopened, CBS 17 reported, citing Durham police.
Public safety
Durham police have not identified the vehicle that hit the man. This story is not an official or emergency notice. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.

Instructions from Durham Police Department, via The News & Observer; Durham CrimeStoppers

Tips can go to Investigator D.A. Monroe at 919-560-4935, ext. 29450, or to Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or durhamcrimestoppers.org.

What happened

In Durham, a 37-year-old man was killed Sunday night on the Durham Freeway after he pulled over with a flat tire and got out of his car.

Durham police said he had stopped at the side of the road to change the tire when he was hit. A department news release, as reported by The News & Observer, put the call at about 10 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 18, on the southbound lanes of N.C. 147 near Fayetteville Street. WRAL, using the same department account, matched the stop and the man's age.

The release described an unknown vehicle striking him. His name had not been released as of Monday morning.

CBS 17, citing that department, reported that just before 11:30 p.m. all southbound lanes between South Mangum Street and Fayetteville Street were closed because of a crash, and that the lanes later reopened.

The investigation continued Monday. Anyone with information can call Investigator D.A. Monroe at 919-560-4935, extension 29450. Anonymous tips can go to Durham CrimeStoppers at 919-683-1200 or durhamcrimestoppers.org.

What we don't know yet

Officials have not named the man who died, named the vehicle that hit him, or said whether anyone will be charged.

What happens next

We will update this story if the department names the man, posts its own account we can read, or announces a charge.

This site is not an emergency service. If someone is in danger, call 911.

Why it matters

A man was killed on a main Durham freeway after stopping with a flat tire. Police have not identified the vehicle that hit him, and people who use N.C. 147 need a clear account of what the department has confirmed.

Updates

  1. Oct 18, 2026, 10:00 PM

    Officers are called about 10 p.m. Sunday to southbound N.C. 147 near Fayetteville Street. A 37-year-old man who had stopped with a flat tire is killed after being hit by an unknown vehicle. Police have not released his name.

Sources

  1. Durham Police Department news release, via The News & Observer: officers called about 10 p.m. Sunday to southbound N.C. 147 near Fayetteville Street; 37-year-old man hit by an unknown vehicle after parking on the shoulder and getting out to deal with a flat tire; name not released as of Monday morning; Investigator D.A. Monroe at 919-560-4935 ext. 29450; CrimeStoppers 919-683-1200

    Official sourcePublished by Durham Police Department, via The News & Observer · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  2. Man dies in hit-and-run on Durham Freeway (WRAL: Sunday night; Durham police said a 37-year-old man was hit after he pulled to the side of the road and got out to change a flat tire)

    Published by WRAL · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  3. 1 dead in crash on NC 147 on Durham Freeway, police say (CBS 17: just before 11:30 p.m. Sunday, Durham police said all southbound lanes of N.C. 147 were closed between South Mangum Street and Fayetteville Street; lanes later reopened)

    Published by CBS 17 (WNCN) · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

  4. Durham CrimeStoppers (anonymous tips, 919-683-1200)

    Official sourcePublished by Durham CrimeStoppers · Checked Oct 19, 2026, 12:30 PM

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