Police have identified the 16-year-old who died early Monday morning after being hit by a vehicle in East York.

Police were called to Cedarvale and Cosburn avenues near East York Memorial Arena at around 2 a.m. where they located a person with obvious trauma. Police confirm the teen was struck intentionally.

The victim, who later died in hospital, has been identified by police as Matthew Dreaver, 16, of Toronto.

According to Det. Leslie Dunkley, the victim and his friend, age 14, were hanging out at the rear of a building located on 1500 Woodbine Ave., at the corner of Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive.

Police say the two boys were involved in an “interaction” with two older men sitting in a parked SUV.

Dreaver and his friend then walked towards Cedarvale Avenue, at which point the two men in the SUV found them, and a second “interaction” ensued. Police say the passenger got out of the SUV and chased the boys on foot.

The two ran to a nearby community centre, where the driver struck the victim from behind, running him over, before driving off.

Dreaver’s friend stayed by his side and was described by police as being in shock.

“Our victims were clearly afraid and ran away, but obviously not fast enough,” said Dunkley. “He witnessed his friend’s dying on the ground.”

Police say it was “clear” the victim was intentionally struck by the SUV and that this is now a first-degree murder investigation.

Dunkley said they have video footage of the collision but are not releasing it to the public. He called it “graphic” and a matter of evidence.

“It was a horrible incident, it was horrible for me to witness that on video,” Dunkley said.

Police say they are appealing to anyone in the area that has video of the incident or anyone who came into contact with the vehicle occupants to come forward. They are also appealing to all body shops in the GTA who may have repaired the vehicle to contact police.

The car is descried as black four-door SUV with an unknown make or model with damage to the front.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

The driver of the vehicle is described as a white male, 20 to 35 years old, round face, about 5-foot-10 with short or balding hair. The passenger is also white, with short to balding hair and similar height and weight to the driver.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at 1-866-876-5423.