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Police: Hit & Run Driver Was Downloading App At Time Of Crash

PLAISTOW, NH (CBS) - Police say a man charged in a hit and run crash was downloading an app on his smartphone at the time of the crash.

According to authorities, John Sheehan, 30, was driving his white van down a residential street in Plaistow when he struck a pedestrian. Witnesses say he never even slowed down.

Police later found that white van in Sheehan's driveway. It had dents and a missing mirror that were consistent with the crash.

When they knocked on Sheehan's door, police say he answered with "what did I hit?." They say Sheehan told them he was downloading an app on his phone and didn't see what he hit.

The victim's father says that's just not possible. Jim Stearns told WBZ-TV that his son Jon is 6'3" and weighs close to 300 pounds. Jon Stearns is recovering at a Boston hospital and has undergone surgeries to repair a broken pelvis and internal bleeding.

"This would have been devastating if it had gone the other way and he'd been killed on impact," Jim Stearns said.

Sheehan has been charged with a felony and was held in jail on a $10,000 bail.

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