Police used vehicle parts gathered from the scene of Sunday’s hit-and-run fatality to identify a 22-year-old suspect on Monday.

“In this particular case, there were vehicle parts … that have identification numbers on them and through those identification numbers we were able to determine who the owner of the vehicle was and ultimately the driver,” Lawrence Police Sgt. Paul Fellers said.

The 22-year-old suspect from Lawrence had not been arrested Monday night.

Thomas Crum, a 60-year-old Lawrence resident, died Sunday following the two-vehicle accident that occurred just before 2 a.m. on West Sixth Street east of Kasold Drive.

Crum was driving a 1984 Pontiac east on Sixth Street when his vehicle was struck by a gray-colored 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee headed north on Gateway Court. The driver of the Jeep left the scene of the accident.

Crum’s car struck the side of the Gateway Automotive building, 534 Gateway Drive. Crum later died at a Kansas City-area hospital.

Lawrence police said they contacted the man for questioning Monday morning.

“Once the reports are completed, they’ll go the district attorney’s office for review and we’ll go from there,” Fellers said.

Crum was a Lawrence native and 1966 Lawrence High graduate, an auto enthusiast who in his younger years raced a 1965 Ford Falcon at the Lawrence Drag Strip and hung out at Don Baxter’s Speed Shop.

Crum had worked at Westlake Ace Hardware, 601 Kasold Drive, for many years before stopping in December because of back and neck problems.

Friday was his 60th birthday.

“This is a big birthday for him,” his son, Ryan Crum, said. “He was like, ‘I only turn 60 once.'”

On Saturday night, Crum gathered with friends and his three sons at Conroy’s Pub for a birthday celebration. Ryan Crum said they then convinced him to head over to Astro’s, in the same plaza as Westlake, for some rounds of pool.

Crum was heading home early Sunday morning when the accident occurred.

Ryan Crum said the family was upset that the other driver left the scene.

“My dad was sitting there dying right in front of the guy, and he didn’t stop to make sure he was OK,” Ryan Crum said. “Whatever the courts do, he’ll still have to sleep at night with that on his conscience.”