Regional police are searching for a driver after a pedestrian was struck and killed in Waterloo early Sunday morning.

Officials say around 4:30 a.m., a group of people found a man lying in the street with severe head wounds at the intersection of Austin Drive and Hazel Street.

Emergency services responded, but the man was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the man, who has not been identified, was hit by a car that drove away.

"With that information, we're looking for an older model SUV-type vehicle that was last seen travelling on Hazel Street towards Columbia Street," says Supt. Adrian Darmon with the Waterloo Regional Police.

The vehicle likely has damage to the fender and hood.

People who live in the area say the neighbourhood is home to many students, so they're used to hearing loud noises in the early-morning hours.

Victoria Spataro says she didn't hear the collision, but her roommate did.

"She said she wasn't sure what time it was but she heard some screaming in the middle of the night," she notes.

Victor Saviora and his mother Maria were fast asleep at 4:30 a.m., but they say the Hazel Street and Austin Drive intersection is dangerous.

"A stop sign would be great," says Victor. "It would really help. I mean people don't care. As soon as they start to go down the hill they've already been going 60 and they hit 70, [which is] 20 kilometres an hour over the speed limit going through this area."

Police haven't said if speed was a factor.

They closed Hazel Street for more than ten hours on Sunday as they investigated the scene of the crash.

Anyone with information is asked to call police or Crime Stoppers.