On the night of July 7, 2021, John Lewis Aldridge parked his car at the Schley Grange Hall north of downtown Hillsborough to go for an evening run. But he never made it back to his vehicle, as he was struck by another vehicle and killed.

More than one year later, investigators are asking the public to wrack their memories to try and advance Aldridge’s case.

A release from the North Carolina State Highway Patrol on Friday said investigators are continuing to search and ask for leads in the fatal hit-and-run case. The message marked some of the first public updates the division has shared since the initial investigation began on July 8, 2021 — including where Aldridge parked his car and why he was out at night.

According to Friday’s release, the 28-year-old Hillsborough resident was last seen at 9 p.m. on Wednesday, July 7, running along Walnut Grove Church Road and turning onto Wilkerson Road. It was on Wilkerson that Aldridge was ultimately struck and killed — with investigators determining the vehicle was traveling south on the road. State troopers discovered the body the next morning at 6:35 a.m. after reports of a crash.

The State Highway Patrol’s release on Friday said the make and model of the suspect vehicle which struck Aldridge are still unknown.

Investigators are requesting anyone who was in Hillsborough or Schley on the evening of July 7, 2021 and July 8, 2022 — or anyone else with relevant information to the case —to contact the State Highway Patrol. Community members can call 336-334-5500.

 

Photo via AP Photo/Skip Foreman.

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