Woman killed crossing outer Forest Avenue in Portland

A 57-year-old woman was struck and killed by a vehicle Monday night on outer Forest Avenue in Portland, according to Portland Police Department spokesperson Brad Nadeau. The hit-and-run occurred at approximately 9:18 p.m. in the area of 1837 Forest Avenue.

Witnesses told police the woman was crossing the street when she was hit. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Her name has not been released, pending notification of next of kin.

The vehicle was described as a dark-colored pickup truck last seen heading inbound on Forest Avenue. The department's crash reconstruction team is leading the investigation.

Nadeau said investigators are asking anyone who witnessed the crash or who may have surveillance, dashcam, doorbell, or other video from the area to contact them at 207-874-8575. He declined to answer further questions on Tuesday.

The fatal crash is the second pedestrian death in Portland this year and the sixth since the start of 2025. The string of incidents has intensified pressure on city officials to improve pedestrian safety.

Earlier this year, 53-year-old Jason Ayers was killed in June after being struck on a raised median at the intersection of Preble Street and Marginal Way. The same week, residents reported other pedestrian-involved accidents, including a middle-schooler hit in a crosswalk on Woodford Street. In 2025, Justin Mitchell was killed while crossing Riverside Street near the Homeless Services Center. The city later added new crosswalks in that area.

Myles Smith, chair of Portland's bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee, said Forest Avenue is one of the city's most dangerous stretches of road. He called the latest death further evidence that speed limits should be reduced.

"A lower-speed collision is much less likely to be fatal no matter what the other circumstances are," Smith said.

Smith and the advisory committee have joined some elected officials in supporting a "20 is Plenty" initiative that would lower speed limits to 20 mph on most city streets. Because Forest Avenue is a state road with a posted limit of 35 mph, reducing the limit there is more complicated, though some cities have lowered limits on similar major roads to 25 or 30 mph.

Last week, Portland city staff announced pedestrian-friendly traffic signal updates along outer Washington Avenue, a corridor that has also been identified as problematic. The work is part of the city's ongoing Vision Zero effort to reduce pedestrian injuries and deaths. This week, construction crews installed raised speed tables on Ocean Avenue and in Payson Park.

The Forest Avenue location where Monday's crash occurred sits near the Portland Friends Meetinghouse, the former Tortilla Flat restaurant building, which is slated to become a housing development, and a rear entrance to a Hanniford supermarket. Across the street is an entrance to the Wellesley Estates housing complex and a bus shelter. A crosswalk in the vicinity has not been repainted since the road was last resurfaced.

Under Maine law, a driver involved in a hit-and-run that causes serious injury or death faces a maximum penalty of 12 months in jail, a fine of up to $2,000, and a 90-day suspended license. Penalties are harsher if the driver is found to have been reckless or under the influence.

In late May, Cumberland County District Attorney Jacqueline Sartoris announced that her office would begin reviewing every car crash that injures or kills a pedestrian or cyclist to determine whether charges should be filed.