Cherry Hill man killed Thursday night crossing accident-prone stretch of Route 38.

A 36-year-old Cherry Hill man was killed on Thursday night while crossing a stretch of Route 38 that has seen other pedestrian fatalities over the years.

Michael V. Mancuso was struck in the eastbound lanes near Longwood Avenue at about 7:56 p.m., Cherry Hill police reported Friday morning. The driver remained on the scene.

Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information is asked to contact the Cherry Hill Police Traffic Safety Unit at (856)488-7820 or traffic@cherryhillpolice.com.

Over the last 50 years, Route 38 around Longwood Avenue and also near Cherry Hill Mall have been the scenes of fatalities as pedestrians tried to cross the busy state highway to catch buses or go to stores.

At least 21 pedestrians since 1975 have been killed on the three-mile stretch of the heavily commercial highway, according to a 70and73.com analysis of state fatal accident data.

About 90% of the time the accident is caused by the actions of the pedestrian, former Police Chief Robert Kempf told 70and73.com in a 2024 interview. He said the pedestrian may not be at a crosswalk or at a crosswalk but not waiting for the light.

Kempf said education about where to cross and precautions are most effective in preventing pedestrian accidents. He said concrete barriers or fencing installed on medians discourages crossing away from crosswalks and it had been effective on Route 38 near Cuthbert Boulevard.

The chief said police department investigations showed some of the deaths came after people got off buses and were trying to cross. 

Mayor David Fleisher in the same interview said overall accident statistics for Cherry Hill were not alarming compared to other communities.

However, "one fatality is too many," he said at the time.