Vehicle caught fire, was abandoned by driver after Lincoln crash, police say

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Police are searching for the driver who abandoned her vehicle under a north Lincoln bridge after a crash on Friday.

Around 2:30 a.m., officers were sent to Northwest 12th Street and Cornhusker Highway on a report of a crash.

When officers arrived, they found a red Jeep Compass on fire under the Interstate 80 bridge, police said.

Nobody was inside the vehicle.

A driver of a Ford Crown Victoria told officers that he slowed to a stop due to road construction on Northwest 12th Street.

He was then sideswiped by a Chevy Tahoe and rear-ended by the Jeep, according to police.

The Jeep left the road, struck a concrete pillar under the bridge and caught fire.

Police described the driver of the Jeep as a light-skinned female with curly hair, about 6 feet tall and 120 to 130 pounds.

She was last seen exiting the Jeep and getting into a white vehicle that left the scene.

The driver of the Ford had a minor neck injury but was not taken to a hospital.

An investigation is ongoing, and anyone with information is asked to call police at 402-441-6000 or Crime Stoppers at 402-475-3600.