BROCKTON – Authorities are appealing to the public to help find the driver who struck and killed a Brockton pedestrian as he crossed Belmont Street on Sunday night.

The victim was Carl Yancey, 31, of Brockton. Yancey was a long-time employee of Shaw's on Belmont Street and friends and family said he was a larger-than-life personality with a big heart.

Brockton police Sgt. Mark Celia said city and state police are investigating the fatal accident.

“They’re actively looking for a hit-and-run suspect,” Celia said.

The accident occurred about 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Belmont and West streets, near the 7-Eleven at 662 Belmont St. Police received a 911 call alerting them to the accident.

Yancey was taken to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, where he was pronounced dead.

Yancey's sneakers were seen on the street pavement as investigators combed the area for evidence Sunday night. The State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit responded to investigate.

Police are reviewing surveillance videos from nearby businesses to try to identify the vehicle that fled the scene.

Police had no vehicle description on Sunday night, but asked the public to be on the lookout for a vehicle with extensive front-end damage.

Celia urged anyone with in formation to call detectives at 508-941-0234.

Enterprise reporter Benjamin Paulin contributed to this report.