A man has died, police say, after his car drove into Cresheim Valley Creek in the Mount Airy neighborhood of Philadelphia on Sunday night.
NBC10 was on scene when the car was lifted out from the creek at the intersection of Lincoln Drive and Cresheim Valley Drive.
Police said the man died after he crashed his vehicle into a creek at about 4 p.m. on Sunday.
In the crash, officials said, the driver was operating a 2005 silver BMW along Cresheim Valley Drive when he lost control of the vehicle, struck a downed guard rail and flipped the vehicle into the creek.
Police said that after the crash, the man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead at about 7:05 p.m.
A broken guard rail was also spotted at the crash site, which was initially thought to have been from Sunday’s crash. However, people who live in the area say the guard rail was broken from a previous crash.
“This guard rail was broken prior to this accident, as far as you know,” said Karen Feisullin, who lives in the area. “There was an accident recently where a car went off the road and over the guard rail, and it was not replaced or repaired prior to this accident.”
A picture on Google Maps that was taken four months ago shows the guard rail broken back then.
According to PennDOT records, there have been 41 crashes in the area from 2015 to 2024.
“This area is known for people driving too fast and a lot of accidents,” Feisullin said. “There’s accidents here at least once a weekend.”
“Everybody speeds on it — it’s a 25 mph zone, and we just saw somebody almost lose it again,” she added.
Police are still investigating the crash, but Feisullin said she wants to see more safety measures put in place.
“Nobody likes more lights, but maybe that’s what has to happen,” she said.
On Monday, Dec. 1, 2025, a spokesperson from the Philadelphia Streets Department shared a statement on the deadly crash.
We are aware of the recent crash on Cresheim Valley Road. The Streets Department’s top priority is public safety. As part of that commitment to public safety, we are conducting a thorough assessment of the guardrail on Cresheim Valley Road.
Other work in the neighborhood includes:
- Recently completed speed slots on Lincoln Drive from West Allens Lane to Wayne Avenue
- Future signal upgrades on Lincoln Drive from West Allens Lane to Wayne Avenue
- Recent installations and ongoing reviews through our city-wide traffic calming program. More information and a map of each street’s status can be found here
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