ALAMANCE COUNTY, N.C. — It's a route John Kirk takes all too often Interstate 85/40 heading east. But the scene he witnessed early Monday morning was far from ordinary as he watched a driver merge lanes, hit another car, and keep going. The car that was hit flipped six times, right before the University Drive exit in Elon.
RELATED: Witness Leads NC Troopers to Hit-and-Run Suspect Who Went To Work After Leaving Crash Scene
"We've seen so many hit-and-runs, and I read day after day, please call - we can't find them. And I was like, 'I'm going to make sure this one is caught,'" said Kirk.
State troopers say Munira Crnalic, 57, tried to merge in the right lane and hit a pickup truck driven by Kinny Lee Smith, Jr., 34.
Smith and his wife were taken to the hospital with surprisingly minor injuries.
Immediately after seeing the wreck unfold, Kirk decided to follow the suspect. At that time, he didn't know who was driving the car.
"[Her] tire was smoking and then all of a sudden, the tire came off. So the tire went under my tractor trailer, so then she’s on the rim and there are sparks! And nobody’s paying attention to her except for me," he said, "She goes all the way to 49, which is a couple exits up, and turns off. She’s never speeding - she’s just driving. I kept flashing my lights and trying to get them to stop. But, they didn’t stop. They turned into the parking lot of an office building and parked their car. Then I see a woman get out, an older woman and casually grabbed her stuff. She grabbed her coffee cup and walked into the office."
Kirk called troopers and reported the license plate number. Later that day, he got a call and troopers let him know they had arrested the suspect. His actions played a pivotal role.
"It wasn’t like it was just a little fender bender. These people could be dead. I had no idea," he said, "I’ve passed up things before, saying that I am too busy or I don’t have time. This time I decided that’s wrong. We need to be good neighbors and we need to be good humans. If somebody has a need and we have the ability to help them, we should help them."
Crnalic was arrested for Felony Hit-and-Run, Reckless Driving, and Unsafe Lane Change, and was placed in Alamance County Jail under a $20,000 secured bond.