Teen victim of hit-and-run accident was starting a new life in Cherry Hill
CHERRY HILL - A teenager killed by a hit-and-run driver was looking to start a new life in Cherry Hill with his adoptive parents.
Dylan Levine-Schiffer, 16, was fatally struck on Feb. 8 by a vehicle that fled from the collision scene on Springdale Road.
An investigation led to the arrest 10 days later of the suspected driver, 34-year-old Ronald Pables of Mount Laurel, Cherry Hill police said Thursday.
New family, new outlook for Dylan Levine-Schiffer
Dr. Richard Levine said he and his husband, Drew Schiffer, hoped to offer love and stability when they adopted Dylan in October of last year.
“This kid struggled,” allowed Levine, a family physician from Cherry Hill. “He was in the system for so long and he had so many guards up.
“But he was improving."
“He’d put his arms around us, he’d help us make dinner and clean up,” Levine recalled.
“We’d watch TV and movies and we traveled to Cape Cod,” said Levine, noting Dylan enjoyed jumping from a pier in Provincetown.
The Levine-Schiffer family wanted to grow
The Cherry Hill couple met Dylan when he was a 14-year-old resident of Butler County in western Pennsylvania, and they were looking to add to a family with four sons ages 15 to 20.
Dylan was an 11th-grade student at Cherry Hill Alternative High School, where he planned to build a chicken coop and an electric go-kart with funds obtained by the school.
“They tried so hard with him,” Levine said of the school.
A passer-by found the severely injured teen around 5:30 a.m., several hours after it was believed he was struck near Springdale Farm Market.
Dylan died in a hospital two days later.
“We kept him on life support so he could be an organ donor, and he could save a lot of lives,” said Levine.
Cherry Hill police investigation
Cherry Hill police "did an amazing job," Levine continued.
Investigators determined the possible make, model and year of the suspect vehicle, a Dodge Durango.
They shared the information with surrounding towns, and Mount Laurel police provided a possible location of the vehicle.
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Pables was charged on Feb. 18 with knowingly leaving the scene of a fatal motor vehicle accident and endangering the welfare of a victim.
The charges are only allegations. Pables has not been convicted in the case.
Cherry Hill police seek more information
Anyone with information about the accident is asked to call the Cherry Hill Police Department's Traffic Safety Unit at 856-488-7820.
Tips can also be emailed to tips@cherryhillpolice.com.
Separately, a Feb. 21 accident killed a pedestrian in Woodbury, where a 66-year-old man was struck at East Red Bank Avenue and Green Street. The victim's name was not released.
The driver remained at the scene of the 6:50 a.m. accident.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Woodbury Police Officer Joseph Duffy at jduffy@woodburypd.com or 856-845-0065, extension. 154.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Cherry Hill NJ hit and run: Mount Laurel man accused of fleeing crash
