Police identify priest as suspect in child hit-and-run

TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Toledo police say the person they believe is responsible for hitting an 8-year-old with his car and fleeing the scene earlier this month is a priest. The boy was struck during dismissal in the parking lot of the Rosary Cathedral. He suffered a broken elbow.

According to a police report for the incident, police were notified by witnesses to a partial license plate number which police used to locate its owner, Fr. Joseph Steinbauer. Fr. Steinbauer told police that he did see the children when he drove through the parking lot and that the boy ran in front of the driver’s side of his vehicle. He said he didn’t think the boy was injured, which is why he left the scene.

A witness to the accident referenced in the report, however, states that she attempted to stop Fr. Steinbauer at the scene. Another witness says the priest did not stop to check on the condition of the child before exiting the parking lot.

Police have also released surveillance video of the incident which you can view above.

Fr. Steinbauer was issued a citation for “Stop After Accident Private Property.”

In a statement sent to 13abc, the Diocese of Toledo said:

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