Man in custody after hit and run accident that led to the death of Jack Sultan-Page

A MAN is in custody after a hit and run accident which lead to the death of nine-year-old Jack Sultan-Page on Saturday.

Jack Sultan-Page. Age 9, killed in a hit-and-run at Moulden, in Palmserston, on November 1.

A MAN is in custody after a fatal hit and run which led to the death of nine-year-old Jack Sultan-Page on Saturday.

The alleged driver, understood to be in his early to mid-20s, was located by police on a property in Rosebery with a car parked in the driveway on Sunday afternoon.

A white Hilux parked in the drive of a Rosebery unit, described as a “vehicle of interest” by police. The vehicle is being forensically examined.

Moulden Public School student Jack Sultan-Page was riding his BMX bike on Davoren Circuit when he was struck by a white Toyota Hilux and killed around 3.45pm on Saturday.

Witness Joshua Galvin, 21, said he saw the car hit Jack and drive off.

“I came running out and yelled (to the driver) ‘you f***ing idiot, stop’,” Mr Galvin said.

“I just seen (sic) a little boy take the left side of the (car) and get sent from the left side straight across the road and into the wheelie bins.”

“(The driver) slowed down looking like he was going to attempt to stop because there was no one around but I think he has gotten spooked.

“He’s seen me come floating out and he’s just hit the gas and taken off. I just went to the little boy’s aid and started CPR.”

Despite Mr Galvin’s best efforts to save Jack, he died soon after at Royal Darwin Hospital.

Local resident, Joshua Galvin witnessed the hit and run in Moulden.

Mr Galvin said he saw Jack’s parents grieving at the crash site early the next morning.

“They were on the corner at 6am because they didn’t sleep (on Saturday) night,” Mr Galvin said.

“I got up to have my cigarettes and I heard the mother out there ‘my boy, my boy’ crying her eyes out and I just walked straight up to them and gave the mother and father a cuddle and said ‘I’m sorry for what happened’ to them and ‘I wish I could have done more’.”

Jack’s mother Faye Sultan made a brief statement on social media yesterday.

“How the f*** is a person suppose(d) to explain to the youngest child that his big brother is not sleeping and that he is never going to wake up ...,” Ms Sultan wrote.

“Life alone is hard … just hurts soo much it’s not fair.”

Ms Sultan described her son as “a good fishing boy, a good brother and good son”.

“Thanks to the people who were first on the scene who helped my son, Jack,” she said.

Jack Sultan-Page was “a good fishing boy, a good brother and good son”. Picture: Facebook

A family friend said Jack “was such a happy and funny kid, full of energy and will be sadly missed around here, especially knowing he won’t be pulling into my driveway any more to hang out with my son”.

The driver who allegedly fled the scene sparked a 24 hour manhunt by police who yesterday doorknocked homes in the area and handed out flyers in search of information relating to the incident.

The car in question was reportedly located by an off-duty police officer who noticed it was parked “awkwardly” in a driveway and reported it to authorities.

Neighbours Ty and Katie Donohue said the vehicle was parked “up close to the wall”.

“I just noticed it looked unusual but didn’t think anything of it until later when I saw all of the police out the front,” Ms Donohue said.

“There are so many people with white Hilux’s on our street and in this area, I never thought (the one involved in the hit and run) would be just a few doors up.”

Mr Donohue said the suspect “walked out with the stretcher” under police watch when an ambulance arrived.

A tribute to Jack left at the scene of the accident.

Another neighbour — who did not want to be identified — said she heard someone “throwing up” (in the house where the suspect was later located) all night on Saturday.

St John Ambulance spokesman Craig Garraway said police requested an ambulance to transport the man to Royal Darwin Hospital for assessment.

“No injuries were reported at the time,” Mr Garraway said.

The alleged driver was in hospital under police guard on Sunday night. No charges had been laid at the time. Police investigations are continuing.